Valde Incompertus Silva
by Pureauthor
Summary: Everyone has a dream... what's yours? Novelisation
1. Prologue: Fate's Threads Converge

Valde Incompertus Silva

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Author's Notes: The title of this story is a rough English-to-Latin translation done by one of the innumerable translation sites they have on the great interwebs. Roughly, it means 'The Great Unknown Forest'.

That out of the way…

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Prologue: Fortuna Ligamen Convoco

* * *

No one was entirely sure when or how it had appeared. The locals claimed that one night there had only been swelling hills of emerald grass – and the next morning, a huge crevice in the land that led into the strange forest, situated just on the outskirts of the sleepy town of Etria.

Some had theorized that it was the recent earthquakes that had been shaking the land, causing this strange new breach in the earth to appear. Others said that some great evil must have been lurking deep underground, and that this meant that it was attempting to force its way back out. Still others laughed and proclaimed that it must have been heaven's doing, to reveal an entrance to such a lush and uncharted realm to explore.

And so, before long, a team of intrepid explorers ventured in – and there they encountered a strange new world, filled to the brim with exotic plants and wildlife they had never laid eyes on before. As fate would have it, the local wildlife proved hostile – very hostile. They all made it out alive, but some would be scarred forever – and one had his arm so mangled it was all but useless.

Still, the herbs and jewels that the explorers had brought back with them convinced the Radha, the governors of Etria, that this great forest was worth exploring.

A proclamation was thus sent out, proclaiming to all and sundry of the discovery of this strange forest, and inviting anyone to come and prove his mettle by conquering the uncharted labyrinth.

Many came to try their luck – all failed. But the lure of adventure proved too strong to stem the flow of daredevils and bravehearts. Over time, Etria became a bustling city-town, its booming economy geared towards providing for the adventurers that seeked to conquer the wood. And over time, the great forest, that had so steadfastly defied all of man's attempts to plumb her depths, began to be known as the Yggdrasil Labyrinth.

And as the sun rises and sets, the flow of those who come to seek their fortunes in the vast caverns remains unceasing.

* * *

The Ceft Apothecary was often a busy place. With the large amount of people who got themselves incapacitated (sometimes permanently) while wandering the labyrinth, it was no surprise that the doors to the Apothecary remained open throughout the night and day.

Pale sunlight filtered in through the bay windows of the side room, falling upon and illuminating the desk the sole occupant of the room was currently using.

Brushing a strand of orange hair from her eyes, the girl slowly shifted the position of her magnifying glass, allowing her to see the dried herb on her desk in greater detail.

Apparently satisfied that she adequately committed it to memory, she set the magnifying glass down and turned to a sheet of paper lain down on desk. After several quick, precise strokes, the drawing of the herb began to take shape on the parchment.

A few moments later, she nodded, a brief smile appearing on her face. Then, turning to a blank area of the parchment, she began jotting down several notes.

-

Mugwort: _Viridus Acerbus_

Bitter to the taste; warming; increases concentration abilities; is often used commercially as an ingredient for bravants

Often found in the first floors of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, these tiny herbs are green in colour and bitter to the taste. Due to their use in the manufacturing of bravants, travelers into the Labyrinth often bring back a supply of mugworts for the purpose of selling to –

-

"Cassandra! Cassandra? Where are you, lass?"

Cassandra Hoffman placed the pen down and twisted in her seat. "In here, grandfather!" She called.

A moment later, Dr. Hoffman, head of the Ceft Apothecary, entered the room, a warm smile on his face. "So _that's_ where you were couched away in."

Cassandra smiled up at her grandfather. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing much. I was just wondering where you'd run off to." He moved closer glancing down at the dried herbs on Cassandra's desk and then the paper she had been making her notes on. "…Still at it, eh?"

"'Course!" She grinned cheerily as she gazed down at her own work. "The forest's huge, and it's _filled_ with all sorts of strange and new plants and animals we've never seen before. There's so much information to be found!" Her eyes grew distant as she rubbed a finger along the crackling edge of the mugwort. "Just think… if someone could make a record of every species of Flora and Fauna in there…" She shook herself from her brief reverie and glanced up at her grandfather.

Dr. Hoffman had removed the spectacles from his face and was now in the process of polishing it with the edge of his coat. "Well, you're not going to make much headway by studying mugworts, my dear. Any first year student at the Apothecary knows all about them."

"I know!" She giggled. "But there're still so many unrecorded plants and animals in there. I want to be the first one to find and study all of them! If nothing else, it'll definitely be a great contribution to the records of Etria."

The master physician laid a comforting hand on his granddaughter's thin shoulder. "You _do_ realize, of course, that this will entail venturing _into_ the Labyrinth on a rather regular basis?"

Cassandra nodded. "And that's why I've been training myself up." She glanced to her side and reached over to grasp a staff, finely carved from solid oak wood. "I'm not good as a fighter… so I'll be their medic. I'll take care of the fighters, patch up their wounds, make sure they live to fight another day…" She grinned and winked at her grandfather. "Just like you, huh?"

He had to chuckle at her brightness and optimism. "Indeed, indeed." The smile became pensive. "Just like me."

With a nod of respect to her grandfather, Cassandra got up from her chair and left the room, still clutching her oak staff.

Dr. Hoffman remained behind, lips pursed, deep in thought. Finally, he reached over and picked up the mugwort Cassandra had been observing, turning the brittle plant over and over in his hand.

* * *

The Golden Deer pub was a noisy place at the best of times, Valerie reflected as she gazed over at the chaotic spectacle with her with an amused air.

Explorers and adventurers that had entered the labyrinth were all sitting around tables swapping stories, each more fantastical than the last. The few patrons who wished for no conversation, merely a quiet meal and a drink, were sitting cloistered in their individual booths along the wall. In one smoky corner of the pub sat Ormund, no doubt mangling yet another song to a group of listeners. It was her decided opinion that he was best off sticking to storytelling.

She heard the snap of fingers and saw someone at the far end of the till signaling for a drink. She nodded gamely, quickly preparing the necessary mead – she knew most all of her patrons on sight, including their tastes and preferences.

The drink finished, she set it down on the till, well out the reach of the customer. He shot her a questioning look, to which she merely replied with a smile.

A roll of the eyes and a resigned smile – she saw the customer reaching back into his pocket.

There was a sharp _crack!_ and suddenly a length of dark cord had wrapped itself around the mug. The dark-haired customer smirked and yanked once. The drink slid across the table, coming to rest in the outstretched hand of the whip-wielding patron. His drink appropriated, he flipped a shining coin in Valerie's direction, one she caught effortlessly.

Vante Simern – Lash to those who knew him well enough – sat back on his stool, tipping the mug and taking a long and thirsty swallow from it.

"Yer not bad with a whip, lad." An elderly man next to him observed.

"Comes with my line of work." Lash smirked. "If I weren't good with my weapon of choice, I'd have no business callin' myself an adventurer."

"An adventurer?" The old crone grinned and chuckled. "Round these parts that only means one thing." His voice dropped to a conspiratorial tone. "How far in have you been, lad?"

Lash gave the man a bored look and swiveled around on his stool so he could gaze out at the rest of the bar. "Oh, I'd say… zero floors."

"Hah!" His drinking companion chuckled. "All talk! Should've known."

The Dark Hunter rolled his eyes as he took another draught. "If you'd _known_ anything, old man, you'd know that most of the local guilds aren't bothering to hire any new blood – so most of us newcomers don't have much choice but to sit pretty on our thumbs."

"So start your own guild or something." The elderly man offered.

"Good one!" Lash tipped his mug back again, draining the last few drops from it. "I'm not leader material – I tried that gig a while ago. Better at just fighting when I'm told to fight."

"So, you're just going to splurge your cash on drinks and food while waiting for someone to come in and scout you for your ability to snag drinks with a whip. Hmph!" The elderly patron stood up and walked away, shaking his head.

"Ain't any easier than it sounds, old man!" Lash called after the swiftly departing elder. Then he sighed and leaned backwards, letting the back of his head rest on the hard wood of the bar till. "I swear, if I could just get myself hired by any of those stinking guilds…"

* * *

"I think she's wakin' up!"

"Huh? Boy, that's fast!"

"Yeah, isn't it now? Especially considering the knocks she had to have taken to get so banged up like that."

"Hmm… wasn't sure she was going to make it, at first."

"Out of the way, out of the way! Give me some room! I need to check up on her!"

The first thing she began to become aware of was noise. A lot of confused talking, the intermingling of voices. Some of it seemed to make sense – most of it did not.

Second, she became aware of what she was feeling. She was lying down on something soft. It was rather rough to the feel, but otherwise it felt comfortable.

She then opened her eyes. She was in a room, simple and sparsely furnished. Several people were milling about, not appearing to be doing much of anything in particular. One of them, however, was leaning by her side.

"How do you feel?" He asked softly.

"F-fine." She mumbled in response. Hesitantly, she pulled herself into a sitting position.

"We found you on the third floor of the Labyrinth." One of the men said shortly. "You remember what happened?"

Labyrinth? She closed her eyes, pressing her hand to her forehead. Yes… Yes. Scraps and whispers of memory, floating through her mind.

Screams. Heat. Pain. The roaring of beasts. Dark shapes that flitted about the shadows of her memory.

And blood. The smell of it, the dark maroon stains everywhere…

She hesitated.

"Tenth."

"'Scuse me?"

"Not third…" She spoke slowly, trying to pull out more information from her mind. "The tenth floor. We were ambushed there…"

One of the men in the background whistled. "You made it up seven floors with wounds like that? You got my respect, girlie." He received an elbow to the gut from one of the women in the room.

"We found this band on your arm." A red-haired warrior held up a strip of cloth with an insignia etched upon it. "Turns out it's the Atropos' guild's insignia. Haven't been heard from in almost a week."

There was a silence in the room as they let the implications of what had been said sink in. Finally, the healer at her side – well, she assumed he was a healer – spoke up again.

"What's your name?"

Another uncomfortable silence descended as she kept her head bowed.

"I… don't remember." She finally mumbled. And it was true. She couldn't remember much of _anything._ Where she had come from. Who she was. Her parents, her friends, everything seemed to have to fallen into some dark abyss that she could not reach. "I don't remember." She said again, rising panic in her voice. "I don't remember _anything_."

"Makes sense if ya ask me. She'd taken a couple nasty ones to the head when we found her…" A subdued voice came from the doorway.

"Wait, calm down." The medic smiled in a calming manner. "Think it through slowly. Try to let it come to you."

She tried to slow her breathing, tried to calm herself down… She focused, sifting through the murky haze of her mind.

"Archery." She spoke. "I remember stringing my bow and taking aim at faraway targets that no one ever thought was possible to hit. I remember taking down some enemy beast that tried to sneak up on me – I shot it in the eye. I remember – I – oh!" She fell silent.

"What? What is it?" The healer prompted.

"The labyrinth." She whispered. "I remember the labyrinth."

She looked up, looking each person in the room in the eye.

"I need to conquer it."

* * *

Directly outside the Yggdrasil Labyrinth was a grassy knoll. It was one of several such knolls that dotted the surrounding area, and insofar as the knoll itself was concerned, it was an entirely unremarkable knoll.

What was different about the knoll was the person standing on top of it, glaring down in the direction of the Labyrinth. It wasn't known how long he stood there, simply gazing down into the vast undergrowth.

Gradually, there came the sounds and shouts of a group of explorers from behind him. A well-armed, well stocked group of adventurers walked by, obviously intent on entering the Labyrinth for yet another go.

The last one of them, a young lad with rust-red hair paused and glanced quizzically at him. "Hey, whatcha doing?"

Quark Teknon turned his red eyes upon the youth. "I wish to enter the Labyrinth." He said shortly. He paused. "Will you let me go with you?"

The young fighter shrugged. "Sorry, man, that's up to the boss."

"…Fine." Quark turned away and resumed staring impassively at the entrance to the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, his ebon hair swaying slightly in the breeze. The youth watched him curiously for a moment or two before turning and quickening his pace to catch up with the rest of the group.

* * *

Swallowing nervously, he stepped into the room.

A heavy cloth had been hung up across the window so as to keep the heat of the sun outside, the net effect being that the entire room had a hazy, ethereal glow to it. Franz barely paid it any mind as he glanced towards the bed.

Was it his imagination, or did she look even paler than before?

At the sound of his footfalls, she shifted her head, enough so that she could look him in the eye. "Franz…" She murmured.

"Amelia." Pulling up a chair, he settled down besides her. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." He winced inwardly at her terse reply. He could tell that even these small actions were tiring her out. He shouldn't have come, he should have just let her rest…

"Franz?"

"Hm?" He glanced back at her. "Yes?"

She was staring at him quizzically, a curious expression on her pale, drawn face. "Franz… you have something you want to tell me?"

He sighed, nodded. "Amelia… you've heard of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth?"

She nodded slowly.

"They've discovered all sorts of plants and herbs in there, Amelia – Etria's been making use of them to make new medicines and elixirs." He paused. "And it's been said that the deeper you go, the more exotic plants you'll find. Amelia," he continued excitedly. "If I could find something that could help you fight your illness-"

"I've heard of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth." She spoke in a measured tone. "I've heard… that those who go too deep never make it out again."

Franz shook his head. "And what's the alternative, Amelia? The best healers in this land have proved useless – they don't know what to do. You've had this disease for six months now and you've only gotten worse. Am I just supposed to sit on my hands and watch you waste away?" He reached over, covering her hand with his own. "I can't do that."

She made no response, save for a single crystalline tear that leaked out from her eye.

"Amelia," Franz continued, his voice steady with resolve. "I _will_ find a cure. And I'll be back soon. And then you'll be cured. This I promise you."

* * *

As he descended the steps of the house, he saw his gleaming shield, resting against the wall.

_A Holy Knight. _He thought to himself as he lifted the shield up, gazing upon his reflection in the polished surface. _One sworn the protect those who cannot protect themselves._

Knighthood under the Order of the Silver Rose had always been in the cards for him, especially since he'd come from House Albion. Upon being knighted, he'd been assigned to the countryside, his duty to patrol the countryside villages with the rest of his regiment, staving off the occasional bandit raids.

It'd been in one such patrol that he'd first entered the village of Messor, on account of having dented his blade in an accident. The village blacksmith had obliged to repairing it for a modest fee, and it had been while he was waiting for his sword to be repaired that he had seen the blacksmith's daughter.

She'd originally been interested in the fact that he was a knight – somehow, the concept of being clad in steel and being touted as the first line of defense against barbarian hordes or marauding brigands was of great appeal to the peasantry as a whole. He'd obliged her questions, telling him about his latest patrol mission. It had been a profound eye opener to him that what he had hitherto considered a routine – boring, even- part of his life was of the utmost interest to Amelia.

The span of two hours had passed faster than he had thought possible, and before he departed he'd made a promise that he would return to see her again soon. This he had done so – and on a rather regular basis, to the point where the blacksmith and his family knew when he was off-duty.

As the visits continued, she'd began to ask less questions about his life as a knight, and more questions about him as a person. And, in turn, he'd begun to find himself asking more questions about her as well.

The night they'd confessed their feelings to each other had been a rainy one, he remembered. He'd never much liked rainy days, mainly because those days tended to be cold, and he _hated_ the cold. With him not needing to return to active duty until late next morning, and with the rather incessant drumming of raindrops around their heads, he'd accepted the blacksmith's gracious offer to spend the night here. The conversation that night had been a rather usual one for its ilk – largely upbeat, positive, and punctuated by plenty of giggles. Then, for no discernable reason, they conversation had slowed to a halt, they'd both gazed deep into each other's eyes, and the words just came tumbling out.

Of course it would have been largely easy to lose himself in the passion of the moment, but being a Holy Knight, he'd had the teachings for virtue and whatnot drummed into his head harder than most, and besides, taking advantage of the daughter of someone who'd agreed to put you up for the night just didn't seem right. Settling for a rather long kiss, they'd both went to sleep content in what the future held for the both of them.

Except, of course, that the future had thrown them a curveball by striking Amelia down with some strange malady the physicians couldn't begin to diagnose, never mind cure. Franz frowned as he finished buckling on the last of his armour to himself. And of course that had led to their current situation.

He nodded and patted the letter tucked securely into his breastplate – his request for a leave of absence for an indeterminate period of time had been granted. Now all was left was to set out for the Labyrinth.

"You ready?" Came the voice from the doorway.

Ewan Paraji was by no means a blood relation of Franz, but upon first glance, one might note that both of them had blond hair and blue eyes. Of course, Franz's hair was just a couple of shades darker, almost fading into a glossy brown if one looked at it in the proper lighting. Ewan also had this habit of keeping his eyes hooded, such that it led most to believe that he was either very thoughtful or lazy.

"As much as I'll ever be."

There was a soft cough, and Franz turned to see Amelia's father standing in the dooway.

"Sir Franz…" The blacksmith stepped forward.

Franz dipped his head low. "Master Russell… I'll be back soon. Please look after Amelia well."

He nodded in response, a smile forming under his beard. "Take care, Sir Knight. Fare you well."

* * *

Ewan Paraji was rather reticent and reserved – he opened up only to close friends of relatives. But when he had found a friend, he stuck with that person through thick and thin.

Having grown up as the son of a servant in House Albion, he'd formed a fast friendship with Franz, the only other boy around his age. Later on, he'd proved himself adept in the arcane fields, and Franz had convinced his father to help fund Ewan's tutelage in the Mage's Guild – a favour that Ewan had always sought to repay Franz for (Notwithstanding that many in the Guild now viewed Ewan as being just a _bit_ too obsessed with Fire formulae magic).

"…" As the two of them saddled their horses, Ewan paused to glance back at Amelia's house.

Of course, repaying a favour by keeping silent about his own attraction to Amelia seemed a pretty poor way of going about things. Notwithstanding that Franz and Amelia seemed entirely happy together (or at least they would have if not for this strange disease), she didn't seem particularly aware that Ewan existed as anything more than 'Franz's buddy'.

"Ewan? What's the matter?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing much." Ewan gave his old friend a grin. "Well then… to Etria?"

Franz nodded, already astride his steed. "To Etria."

* * *

Scarcely anyone paid any heed to the cloaked traveler as the person paused in the middle of the Verda Plaza, glancing around to check the surroundings.

As one Etrian villager walked by, the traveler coughed softly. "Excuse me sir, do you know the way to the Guildmaster's office?"

"It's that prominent building riiight over there."

"My thanks."

A few minutes later, the Guildmaster glanced up as the cloaked traveler entered his office. "Hm, don't think I've seen you before. Come to check out the Labyrinth?"

A nod.

"Well, can't let you go off all on your lonesome. After one too many people bit the big one, the folks at Radha Hall made it so that only people entering under the jurisdiction of a guild can enter."

"My apologies, I've no intention of joining a guild."

"What? But then…" A grin spread across the Guildmaster's face. "Heh. Most of the current guilds are too washed up and stuck-in to be accepting new members. Are you telling me you're going to be one to look to the needs of those poor souls just lounging around here with nothing to do?"

"Maybe, maybe not." A hand reached up to throw the hood of the cloak back – revealing the face of an attractive woman in her early twenties, golden hair cascading down the back of her neck. "My name is Eurydice Alexandra Katarn, and I'm here to start a guild."

"For what manner of purpose?" He asked, though of course he knew the answer already.

A thin smile blossomed on Eurydice's face. "To conquer the Yggdrasil Labyrinth."

* * *

End Prologue

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Thanks for reading. Please review. 


	2. 1: The Grand Journey Begins

Valde Incompertus Silva

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Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Chapter 1: Porro Iter itineris Adventum

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"To conquer the Yggdrasil Labyrinth." She said.

Eurydice Alexandra Katarn.

A Shield Maiden of the Order of the Crimson Phoenix. A Holy Knight.

The daughter of a farmer, she had often watched the knights that patrolled the countryside, secretly wishing that she could grow up to be just like them. As she grew older, she began to notice the peculiarity that the vast majority of those knights happened to be male.

Upon mentioning this to her father, he had shrugged, saying that it was the way things were. Not to say there hadn't been female knights of great renown, but by and large women weren't the sort who ran off to join the army.

Eurydice proved herself an exception. After joining and completing her training, she had officially been knighted by the king of the land, being granted the title of a Shield Maiden.

Of course, it had been shortly after that that the kingdom had been overrun by foreign invaders, the king disposed off, and the knights scattered.

For several years she'd lived as a wanderer, using her skills as a knight to earn a living among the countrysides. Of course, one thing that ragged on her was that whenever they first learned that she was a knight, there would be the "Oh, really." and the raised eyebrow.

Of _course_ she was a knight! If the armour wasn't enough of a giveaway, then what about her shield? Her sword? Just because she was a woman, she wasn't allowed bear arms? Was that it?

_One of these days, I'll… I'll…_ She had always thought. Of course, she had never acted on her impulses. If she _had_, then she wouldn't really be deserving of her title of a Protector, after all.

As she had wandered, she had heard the tales of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, of how no man had ever managed to plunge into its innermost depths. The challenge intrigued her, certainly. She'd made a career out of doing things that typical people didn't do, after all.

Of course, if she ever managed to conquer the Labyrinth, she'd make a name for herself, and for women in general. No longer would they be looked upon as the 'weaker gender' simply because.

Of course, one snag in that plan was that if she was simply a side member to a guild, she ran the risk of being dismissed as a 'support' who hadn't really done much.

To her, it was clear. The only recourse was to start her _own_ guild, with her as the leader. That way she could ensure that her role in it could not be marginalized or sidelined.

She stood, staring confidently at the Guildmaster.

He grinned at her. "Ha! You've got spirit, if nothing else." He winked at her with his one remaining eye. "So, if you're really intent on starting your own guild, what'll the name be?"

She nodded once. "I was thinking Explorer."

"It's already the name of the whole shebang." The Guildmaster shrugged. "The Explorer's Guild oversees all the sub-guilds. I mean, _technically_ there's nothing wrong with naming it Explorer, but it could get a mite confusing, you know."

"Fine." She paused, pursing her lips. "Paragon."

"Paragon it is!" Guildmaster chuckled. "Nice, strong sounding name!"

Eurydice hesitated, folded her arms. "So, do I start recruiting, or…"

"Well, you could always walk into a bar and yell that you've started a guild and are accepting all comers, but I think you'll want to trim the fat just a little more than that."

"Huh." Eurydice paused, her sapphire eyes narrowing. "Posters are a good way of getting interest, right?"

"Well, depends on where you post 'em, but in general, I'd say yes."

Eurydice nodded and turned. "I'll get back to you on those guildmembers of mine…" She mumbled as she headed out the door.

"Lookin' forward to it!" The Guildmaster called after her. As she departed, he flipped a coin up in the air, snagging it effortlessly.

"She's got eyes of a hunter, that one." He chuckled as he held the single en up to the sunlight. "Don't let me down, lass. I'll be expecting great things from you."

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, talk had begun to spread about a newcomer starting up a guild – and that any who wished to apply had only to bring one of the recruitment posters to the Guild's office.

Lash had grinned with excitement upon hearing this news – it wasn't everyday that such a golden opportunity fell onto his lap. Draining his latest drink, he'd left the pub, off to search for wherever a poster had been left up.

He quickly found a gaggle of toughs clustered around a wall, all of them seemingly arguing over who was going to be the one to grab the paper hanging there.

Lash leaned back against aforementioned wall, whistling to himself as he watched the arguing degenerate into a brawl. The majority of those arguing didn't look skilled enough to wield a weapon without taking out their own eye in the process. And of course, he'd lay long odds on any of them ever having set foot into the Labyrinth.

In a matter of moments, the poster appeared to have been forgotten in lieu of punching the other guy in as many spots as you could. Suppressing an urge to roll his eyes, Lash calmly walked forward and snagged the poster from off the wall, quickly rolling it up into a neat bundle.

"Ey!"

He turned, brushing a strand of dark blue hair out of his eyes. A burly looking man stood behind him, a dagger in hand. "Gimme that poster! I'm gonna take it!"

Lash grinned fiercely. "You think so? It says they only want the best of the best, you know."

Obviously not accustomed to debate, the man lunged, knife flashing in the early morning light. Lash sidestepped the stab, whip already unfurling.

_Crack!_

The thug cursed and grabbed his injured hand while Lash lashed out with his whip a second time, dragging the fallen dagger back to him.

"I'll be taking your little pocket knife as payment for wasting my time." The Dark Hunter informed him coolly before departing.

The thug glowered angrily at him, but otherwise did nothing to further impede the dark haired warrior.

* * *

Vante 'Lash' Simern.

He'd grown up in the slums of Terghan, the capital city of the proud country of Findra. Lacking the natural brawn and build of his compatriots, and thus he'd been forced to rely on his agility and wits to sustain him.

On dry nights, he'd sit on the rooftop of the ramshackle apartment shared by him, his mother, and three other families, glaring angrily at the palatial homes surrounding the Imperial Keep. The near constant rush of parties, processions and performances always ensured the upper-crust regions were brightly lit, and easily spotted for miles around.

He would sit, silent, staring, seething. What right did _they_ have to live on the lap of luxury while so many more people were eking out the barest of livings in the filth and squalor of the slums.

Damn them all. It wasn't right.

As he'd aged, he'd continued to learn and train himself, gaining strength behind his muscles to add to his speed and skill, such that, when his mother passed on and left him on his own, he was able to sustain himself on a passable (if not comfortable) living by performing any variety of odd jobs.

In his mind, though, burned a single flaring through, capable of sending him into a brooding rage whenever he let it linger in his mind.

Irrelevance.

No matter how hard he worked, no matter how much he earned, no matter what he did… as long as he stayed here, he would be unknown, unacknowledged.

Some of his peers (if one could use such a word of them) seemed to accept that fact. The harsh conditions had apparently broken them – they were concerned merely with surviving, with pulling in enough to fund their next meal.

Not him. What wore down the others only served to fuel his burning desire to achieve something, to make a name for himself.

As he grew, he began to take note of some soldiers that entered and left the city. They didn't bear the insignias of the court, but whenever they marched to a battle (and there was no shortage of _those_), they marched alongside those who were quite obviously the king's men.

They were called mercenaries, he later learnt – men whose blades belonged to the highest bidder. Some of them had earned renown and fame on the battlefield on the basis of their strength.

To the young ears of Vante, that sounded wonderful. He could see a path out of the life of irrelevance and mediocrity he was currently stuck. That goal in mind, he began to push himself ever harder, doing everything he could to ensure that when the time came for him to prove himself, he would not fail.

It came sooner than anticipated. At the age of fifteen, he'd inadvertently upset one of mercenaries who had spent the better part of the evening imbibing vast quantities of alcohol. In his drunken rage, he'd grabbed a bottle he'd emptied a few minutes ago, threatening to crack open the young vagabond's skull.

Ten seconds later, he was lying on the floor, bleeding heavily from his nose, with Vante carefully massaging a sore knuckle. The rest of the mercenary troupe had exploded from their seating positions with a roar, ready to start what was certain to be an explosive barroom brawl.

A harsh reprimand from the head of the mercenary band quickly sent the others back to their seats, subdued but still glaring at the youth.

Of course, leaders were made leaders for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the ability to spot new blood and figure that he wouldn't be a bad addition to the crew.

Vante was officially the newbie of the band, and his cut of the pay revealed that simple fact. Of course, now he actually had some experienced fighters to pick up tips from, and there was the entire aspect of finally being liberated from Terghan made this arrangement almost more than Vante had ever dreamed possible.

He'd quickly found an affinity with whips. The ability to lash out like a cobra, striking and immobilizing the opponent at precise locations was always something he'd enjoyed. Some rudimentary sword skills, too – any mercenary worth his salt should know how to wield a sword.

For a while, he'd thought he'd found his lot in life. He'd survived a his fair share of scrapes, and his relentless drive to succeed quickly elevated him through the ranks, despite his lack of years. He had a natural tendency towards reticence, which the other members apparently mistook for maturity. Well, not his problem.

Of course, things had come to a rather messy end when the band had been hired to out down a peasant rebellion near the Ruk coast. They dealt with the inexperienced villagers easily enough, but apparently the noble who'd hired them wasn't satisfied. He wanted to make an example out of the incident. And that entailed eradicating the village from which the uprising had spawned. Every last man, woman and child.

While the majority had groused about the job, none of them had given the impression that they were going to do anything other than obey the nobleman's commands to the letter. Vante, meanwhile, had simply sat there, silent, while the rest of them continued their nightly drinking sessions.

He never had much in the way of morals, but what he _did_ have he stuck to. And there was no way in hell he was going to hurt children or women. Of course, he'd no intention of simply upping and leaving the band. A member welshing out on a contract was a bad mark on any mercenary band, and Vante had no intention of leaving them blacklisted – they'd done right by him, after all.

Two nights before they were to set out for their target, the band found Vante's letter of resignation on a table. The next morning, they found the nobleman's body, strangled to death by a length of thick cord.

Of course, he'd instantly become a wanted man within Findra's borders, but it had been little trouble to hitch a ride over to neighbouring countries where they had no jurisdiction.

He'd taken up the life of a wandering adventurer, but his dream to be known – carved into history – had never faded.

Of course, rumours of the unconquered Yggdrasil Labyrinth had long since been floating around, but in recent times it seemed to have started to gain a mythical aura about it – that anyone who could conquer the vast forest would become… well, a legend.

That thought had appealed to Vante. And soon after, he'd shoulder his rucksack and departed once more – his destination the town of Etria.

* * *

"…"

Her eyes narrowed as she watched the people streaming by, most of them animatedly discussing something about recruitment.

_Something about a newcomer starting up a guild…_Silently, she stood, emerging back into the sunlight. A moment's hesitation and she donned a green felt cap across her messy brown hair, one that helped cover a nasty scar across her forehead.

There was a poster hanging on the wall, slightly torn but in relatively good shape. Stepping in front of it, she quickly scanned the basics.

There was a sigh. Most of the established guilds weren't interested in hiring newcomers – she'd learnt this rather quickly – and so if she wanted to reenter the Labyrinth… well, this would be her best bet.

Silently, she peeled the poster off the wall, rolling it up and stepping away.

She didn't know exactly _why_ she had such a drive to plunge into the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, but she did, and frankly, it seemed the best way to try to piece together her shattered memory.

With a nod of determination, she stepped forward to the guildmaster's office.

* * *

He stood there, arms folded, mentally sizing up the competition.

Most of them seemed skilled in hitting things with their fists, various blunt objects, and not much else. He supposed there was a market somewhere for this sort of thing, but Quark Teknon fervently hoped his potential employer wasn't that sort of person. Firstly, because it would pretty much wreck the magic-wielder's chances of getting a position within the guild, and secondly because Quark had no interest in joining up with such a leader anyway.

The founder of this guild didn't know it yet, but it would be as much of a test for him as it would be for a Quark.

_... A test for her._ He amended as he proceeded along the queue and noted that the person sitting at the desk was a blonde-haired woman. Judging by her expression, she was rapidly becoming very frustrated with the applicants, and they appeared to be being dismissed at an increasingly rapid pace.

He tucked his hands into his pockets, waiting patiently for his turn.

Finally, it came. The woman barely lifted her eyes from her papers. "If your fighting style can be summarized into 'beating things with clubs, knives, and various other implements easily procured from a messy bar room', then thank you for coming, but-"

"As it so happens, that does _not_ summarize my fighting style." He said softly.

"Oh!." She hesitated. "Good. Name, please?"

"…Quark Teknon."

"Primary method of fighting?"

"Magic. Poison and Volt formulae, specifically."

"Okay…" Eurydice hastily scribbled a couple of notes. "Prior battle experience?"

"…"

"Nothing?" Eurydice lifted her eyes from her paper.

"Served as a Royal Mage… in the court of King Firionel."

The wince on her face was barely perceptible. "Hm… guess that means you're pretty skilled," she mumbled. "He's been in more wars than most any other king in the past few decades."

"…Won most of them, too." Quark said listlessly. "I assume you would have firsthand experience of this… Knight of Cestior." His eyes flitted to the insignia on her shield, lying against the wall.

"…" Eurydice shook her head. "What's done is done. Report back here tomorrow at noon – I wish to see a demonstration of your battle capabilities."

"Understood."

* * *

As the day continued, Eurydice was becoming in serious danger of losing her temper.

It seemed that the majority of the applicants attempting a signup had no idea of the basics of combat, beyond the fact that it was probably a good thing if your opponent wasn't moving any more. The relative few that _did_ seemed skilled likewise seemed miffed that they would be serving under a woman, and she had summarily dismissed them with a few curt words – she'd be better off without people like them on her team.

Of course, this meant that she was reduced down to a single person of any potential. And entering the Labyrinth with only one person covering her back didn't strike her as particularly appealing.

"Yo."

She glanced up. A youth grinned down at her, his pale blue hair partially obscuring his eyes. "Heard you needed some skilled fighters."

"I do indeed." She said gamely enough. "Some basic details?"

"I fight with a whip." The lad shrugged. "If you need someone to vouch for me, try asking Valerie down at the pub."

"Demonstrating the best of your skills in a pub would seem to be more of a black mark on your record than anything else."

The lad nodded once, and flicked his arm out.

_FWIP!_

As he pulled back, Eurydice's own arm lashed out, her hand snagging onto her coin purse midway between the both of them. He grinned down at her.

"Nice reflexes, sister."

Eurydice stared at him coldly. "You've got the skills. However, you make a lousy first impression." She relieved him of her purse and returned it to her belt.

"Got all the time in the world to work on that." He folded his arms. "So, am I in or what?"

"We'll see. Report back here at noon tomorrow. Name?"

"Vante Simern… you can call me Lash."

* * *

"Next."

As she heard the call and stepped forward, her potential leader glanced up.

"You look like you've seen some action." The blonde-haired noted.

Suddenly self-conscious, she noted the number of half-healed scars across her bare arms, with one more showing up across her bare midriff. Not trusting herself to words, she merely nodded.

"I'm a bowfighter." She said softly.

"Hm. Could use someone like that." Eurydice nodded. "Prior battle experience?"

"I've… been into the Labyrinth before."

"Hmm… can I get a reference from the other guild?"

_The other guild… Atropos…_ She closed her eyes. "It… no longer exists."

"Disbanded?"

"Something like that." _No need to let others in on what happened. It's my own fight._

"Hmm…" Eurydice frowned for a moment. "Okay, we'll see about you. Report back here tomorrow at noon. Can I have your name?"

She cringed. A name? She hadn't had time to think of one.

She squeezed her eyes shut, one hand reaching up to clutch her brain as she tried to force it out. She'd known it once, long ago… Why wouldn't it come to her now?

Then, slowly, slowly, letters began to form in her mind.

"M…" She mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"Mi…" She grimaced. She was stuck. Nothing more…

"TSSEEEEEEEER!"

Instinctively, she glanced up, catching sight of a proud hawk soaring high overhead.

"Hawk…" She whispered. Then her eyes narrowed as focus was returned to the world about her.

"Your name?" The woman prompted again.

"…Mihawk." She finally said.

Mihawk. That moniker would serve for now… until her memory decided to be less stubborn and yield up the secrets of her past.

* * *

"Ya sign up a good crew? If you didn't give it some thought, you'll regret it later." The Guildmaster grinned.

"One can only hope my judgment was astute enough." Eurydice muttered. "We'll have more to discuss tomorrow."

"Well, time to pack up, then. Here, I'll help you."

"Thanks."

After swiftly clearing out everything, the both of them went their separate ways, each preoccupied with their own tasks and duties.

All was silent. Then there was the soft patter of feet.

"Um, excuse me? I – I'm Cassandra Hoffman and I'm here to apply for the new guild…" Cassandra entered the plaza, glancing hesitantly about at the empty space. "Huh? I was sure this was the right place… Am I too early?"

* * *

_Twang._

_Thok!_

Eurydice nodded in appreciation. Fifteen shots, fifteen bullseyes. She'd not judged Mihawk wrongly, after all.

"Hey, sister!"

She turned to see Vante – Lash – strolling up to her. "Not late, am I?"

"As a matter of fact, you are. By seven minutes." Eurydice shrugged. "Not to worry, though. Your competition's even later."

His eyes narrowed, although the self-confident smirk never wavered. "Competition?"

"Of course. I'm not going to go around hiring people on the basis of their abilities as pickpockets." Eurydice flashed a tiny grin. "Speak of the devil…"

A muscular, dark skinned man stepped up, eyes flashing dangerously. "This here pipsqueak's my matchup?"

"Probably." Eurydice replied with a nonchalant air. "You happen to know where the rest of the potentials are?"

The man smiled, revealing probably the worst set of teeth the Shield Maiden had ever laid eyes on. "They decided to stay home." He sneered.

It was only then that Eurydice noticed a dark smear of what strongly resembled blood down the front of the man's jacket. She nodded wanly. "That simplifies things."

"So, we playing for keeps or what?" Lash questioned as he unfurled his whip.

"I don't want the Radha hounding me." Eurydice said. "If possible, leave your opponent in a position to walk away from the fight when it's all over."

"Ha! That might be difficult." The man snorted.

"We'll see." Was the only reply from the Shield Maiden. "Go."

The two of them exploded into action, with the brawnier man drawing a gleaming saber. With a roar of challenge, he charged Lash, waving his weapon above his head.

By contrast, the dark hunter stood his ground, whip hanging loosely at his side. Just as his foe was about to come within sword-strike range, Lash's left arm blurred.

He skipped nimbly to the side as his opponent collapsed, howling in pain.

"Draw my weapon early, and of course you'd be focused on it." Lash grinned. "You were so focused on the whip you failed to spot me drawing my dagger." He reached over and yanked the gleaming implement from where it had pierced the man's leg. "I win."

"…Impressive." Eurydice said softly. "I suppose you'll make a good addition to the crew, then."

_I've already got Mihawk signed up, now Lash too… but where's Quark?_ Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of Lash's opponent struggling to his feet.

"The fight's over. You weren't good enough." She said smoothly. "Better luck next time."

"Never!" The man's eyes flared dangerously and he drew a hand-axe, one well designed for throwing. "The job's _mine!_"

"Hey, hey!" Eurydice snapped, her sword already halfway out of her sheathe. "Calm down!"

Nevertheless, he drew his arm back, and Eurydice growled deep in her throat as she prepared to knock away the weapon.

"_Is quisnam offendo amo levitas , permissum vultur rudo ex suus manuum."_ There was a soft murmur, words that Eurydice barely caught, and suddenly the entire plaza was illuminated to a nigh-unbearable intensity.

When the glow faded, the man was once more lying on the ground, unconscious, a bloody gash trailing up his right arm.

"Efficient – if a little messy." Eurydice mumbled. "Nice work, Quark. Powerful spell you've got there."

"…" The dark haired mage settled for a nod. "Standard Volt formula. Slightly modified, though."

Meanwhile, Mihawk, who remained silent for the whole session, spoke up. "Is that all of us?"

"…Yeah. I was hoping for a medic, but a suitable one didn't show up yesterday." Eurydice pursed her lips. "For now, I suppose we can make do with supplies from the Ceft Apothecary."

"Four of us, taking on the greatest Labyrinth known to man? Doesn't sound too feasible." Lash chuckled.

"We'll add more as time goes on. There's got to be better blood in this town than the washouts we've run into." She shook her head. "Anyway, you – all of you, are in. Meet me at the stone marker at the Labyrinth's entrance tomorrow at dawn."

* * *

"Nice of you to accompany me, Mihawk." Eurydice commented as she stepped through the doorway of the Ceft Apothecary.

"It's fine… I don't have much else to do anyway." The archer replied softly as she glanced around the area. It was filled with row after row of medicine, most of it bearing funny names she'd never heard before – at least she didn't remember ever hearing them before. Not quite the same thing.

The entrance to the Apothecary had been constructed without doors, and without any of the steps that usually marked the entrances of other buildings as large as this one, the reasoning being that they should do whatever they could to make moving critically injured people into the apothecary that much easier.

As they approached the counter, an elderly gentleman stepped up to them. "Good evening to you, ladies. What do you need?"

Eurydice smiled. "Five medicas, please."

"Very well…" The man turned, grabbing the necessary medicines. "You seem new around these parts." He mentioned to Eurydice.

"Yes… I just reached this town a couple of weeks ago. First trip to the Labyrinth tomorrow morning, too." The Shield Maiden chuckled. "You probably end up seeing a lot more of me."

"Hm… Your first trip to the Labyrinth? Then you must be that new guild that just set up shop. Paragon, was it?"

"Yes, indeed."

The man hesitated. "You have a medic on your team? If you're going into the Labyrinth, I'd strongly recommend having one. Medicines can only do so much, after all."

"We were looking for one." Eurydice mumbled. "The right candidate just hasn't shown up yet."

"Ah…" The aged man's face crinkled up into a smile. "I happen to know a Medic looking for a guild to join. You interested?"

"Why not?" Eurydice smiled.

The man turned, calling into an anteroom. "Cassandra! Could you come out for a minute?"

There was the sound of running feet, and a young girl with orange hair peered out from behind the doorway, an inquisitive smile on her face. "Yeah, gramps? What did you need me for?" When she noticed the visitors, she quickly bowed her head in a show of respect.

"This here is Cassandra Hoffman – my granddaughter." Dr. Hoffman explained. "She's a trained medic – and she's looking for a guild that'll take her. So? What do you say?"

Mihawk noticed the look of hesitation on her leader's face. "She looks… rather young."

"I'll be fifteen in a month!" Cassandra chirped brightly.

"…" Eurydice shook her head. "Sorry, I can't put someone so young in danger – to say nothing of the fact that my teammates will be depending on her for patching up of wounds. She's still too young – too inexperienced."

Mihawk's eyes darted over to the girl – a shadow of blank disappointment had already fallen on her face.

Meanwhile, Dr. Hoffman nodded. "Inexperienced, you say." He frowned. "I don't think _you're_ very experienced in dealing with the Labyrinth either."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eurydice countered. "At the very least, I've seen combat. I know how to take care of myself."

"Hm. And when was the first time you ever got into a battle, may I ask?"

Mihawk noticed that Eurydice blanched at the question. "Wh – what's it to you?" She stammered.

"Well…" The doctor removed his glasses and began polishing them. "You've a Cestian accent in your voice – that and the way you carry yourself indicates you're a Cestian knight. Now, the country went under several years ago, so if you really saw combat on the frontlines, you would've been fifteen… no, sixteen at most. You're twenty five years of age now, are you not?"

"Twenty three." She growled.

"My, that changes things a bit. You were _fourteen_ when commissioned as a Protector!" Dr. Hoffman smiled craftily as he replaced his spectacles over his eyes. He had the Shield Maiden trapped, and he knew it.

Eurydice, meanwhile, was seeing red. "Enough!" She snapped. "She's not joining our guild! End of story!" Mihawk noted that Cassandra had slinked off somewhere, probably back into whatever room she had come from.

Dr. Hoffman sighed elaborately. "Well, if you insist. Good luck in finding a worthy Medic, then. Now, your order…" He held up a bundle of five bottles tightly wrapped together.

Eurydice stretched her hand out and took hold of it. "How much do we owe you?"

"Hm – let's see. Five bottles of medica solution at fifty en a bottle – that leaves us with two hundred and fifty-"

"_Fifty_ en?" Eurydice demanded, one hand slamming the table. "Are you mad? That's over _twice_ the market rate for a medica! This is daylight robbery!"

Dr. Hoffman frowned. "Well, what with the constant flow of travelers in and out of the Labyrinth, demand for medicines is at an all time high. If you want to keep costs down, you'd best find a good Medic."

Mihawk couldn't deny that she was deriving a fair bit of amusement from watching her leader's face turn purple with rage as Dr. Hoffman just barely winked at her.

"Think your options over." Dr. Hoffman continued, the ghost of a smile on his face. "In the meantime, two hundred and fifty en, please."

* * *

The morning sun was just beginning to peek over the edge of the horizon as Lash made his way to the Labyrinth entrance.

He wasn't too surprised to see Quark there already, leaning against a tree for support.

"You got everything prepared?" He called out to the silent Alchemist. He was received with a nod, and took it to mean that Quark wasn't much interested in conversation.

The tramp of boots alerted him to the arrival of newcomers, and he turned to herald the arrival of the others.

"Mornin', boss!" He called out cheerfully. "So, I know this girl down at one of the equipment shops – she gave me a few sweet deals on some of the stuff she stocks – she tells us she'll give us the best prices for whatever we need! Got us a few pieces of gear on the cheap."

"That's great." Eurydice nodded, distracted. Clad in full battle armour that reflected the burning orange of the morning sun, she looked appropriately powerful. Behind her was Mihawk, clad in a green tunic that gave her freedom of movement. A thin scarf was wound around her soldiers, and in her maroon shorts was tucked a hunting dagger.

The girl behind them though…

"And who's that?" Lash questioned as he pointed at the orange-haired youth.

"Oh." Eurydice swallowed, and Lash got the funny feeling that she was attempting to keep her feelings in check. "I… _found_ us… a medic."

Something was definitely fishy, but Lash noted Mihawk shaking her head 'no' behind Eurydice, and the Dark Hunter shrugged. It could always wait for another time.

"Everyone ready?" Eurydice called. "Last checks on all equipment! I want no complaints once we're inside the Labyrinth!"

* * *

Cassandra watched hesitantly as the other busied themselves with preparations. Having been granted the benefit of a relatively sheltered life, she was patently unsure as to how to communicate with the rest of the gang – all of whom seemed to be more experienced than she was in this matter (and on an order of magnitude, no less).

She sighed as she remembered her conversation with her grandfather last night – after Eurydice had grudgingly accepted her into the guild.

"_Gramps… thanks for getting me accepted into the guild. But… I'm not sure… I don't think that Eurydice likes me."_

"_Maybe, maybe not."_ _Dr. Hoffman paused as he looked up from the tome he had been studying. "But in the end, if don't trust you, or your skills…" He smiled gently. "Then do what you can to earn that trust. And trust heaven to set things right."_

"Yo, Medigirl!" The call startled her from her reverie. Glancing around, she realized that everyone else was ready and staring expectantly at her. "You ready?"

"Y-yes! Good to go!" Clutching her oak stuff tightly, she quickened her pace to catch up with the rest of her crew.

Medigirl… she rolled that name around in her mind. _What the hey,_ she decided with a mental shrug. _It's got a nice ring to it._

* * *

**End Chapter**

* * *

Thanks for reading. Please review. 


	3. 2: Proving One's Worth as Explorers

Valde Incompertus Silva

* * *

Eep, I really left a long gap in between update times. Sorry about that guys – I'll try to be better with it.

* * *

Negotium Pro Novus Rimor

* * *

"Well, how was _I_ supposed to know they wouldn't even let us in until we'd met with the Radha?" Eurydice demanded angrily as the five of them stalked back to town. "Bloody stupid uptight…"

"What I'm more puzzled about," Lash commented as he turned to glance over at their Medic. "Is youl. You've lived here your whole life, correct? You should be well versed in the procedures – why didn't you say anything?"

"I am!" The girl defended herself. "But – but I thought that surely you'd have prepared for something like this! I would've thought it common knowledge…"

"Stuff it, Medigirl." Eurydice snapped.

Cassandra instantly fell silently, her face hot. Mihawk shot her a sympathetic glance but otherwise said nothing – and Quark, as usual, was silent, merely bringing up the rear of their company.

"Look, apparently the Radha wants to ensure we've got the skills not to get torn to pieces the instant we set foot into the Labyrinth, so let's just go find him and see what he says." Lash suggested. "No point grumbling about it on the way over there, either."

Eurydice blew a sigh out of her mouth and nodded.

* * *

Cassandra gazed up with a fair amount of trepidation at the ornately designed building in front of her. She'd never actually entered the hall of the Radha before, and this experience was as new for her as it was for the rest of her guild mates.

Eurydice sighed and stepped forward to the guard standing at the entrance. "We're from the Paragon guild, and we were told that we needed to see the Radha before we're allowed to enter the labyrinth. May we?"

"Just a minute!" The soldier replied. Cassandra started – the imposing steel helmet had hidden his face, and therefore it was the youthful sound of his voice that clued her in to just how young he was – he certainly _sounded_ no older than her. "Do you have an appointment?"

"N-no."

"Well, then I'm terribly sorry, but I can't let you into the Hall. If you'd like, you can speak with the scribes near the entrance for a booking, but as a word of warning, the Radha have been really busy of late – the earliest you'll probably get to meet them is sometime next week-"

"Next week? There's no _way_ we're waiting that long!" Eurydice was becoming agitated now, and subconsciously Cassandra took a step back.

"Look, this is just procedure. I'm sorry, but you have to follow the rules, or-" The soldier wasn't too pleased at being questioned, and Cassandra couldn't shake the feeling that something untoward was on the verge of occurring.

"What's going on here?" From the entrance of the Hall emerged a tall, thin man, dressed in the official robes of the Radha. Despite his obvious stature, he carried a friendly smile on his face.

With a sigh, he pushed up his glasses and smoothed back some of the orange hair on his head. "What is it, Loran?"

"Ah, Subaltern Quinn! My apologies, your honour – I was merely informing these people of the procedures necessary before-"

Quinn chuckled lightly. "It'll be quite all right, Loran. As it so stands, I'm free for a while, so I suppose I can entertain these people's issues."

"Oh – uh, very well, then." The soldier saluted and turned to Eurydice. "You can enter, I suppose."

The head of the Paragon guild nodded stiffly in response, and followed the Subaltern into the darkened recesses of the Radha hall.

* * *

Once the Subaltern had settled himself down on his desk, he looked up at the group. "Please, make yourselves comfortable." He hesitated, apparently noticing that Eurydice was currently decked in full battle armour, and coughed. "That aside, how may I be of aid?"

Eurydice cleared her throat. "Yes, well, we were informed that all new guilds must meet with the Radha to ensure that they are properly qualified for challenging the Labyrinth. So, here we are."

Quinn nodded. "Ah, you would be the new guild that everyone's talking about – Paragon, wasn't it. The Radha was expecting you, to be honest." He picked up a quill pen, opened a thick, leather-bound book, and began inscribing some notes onto it. "A pleasure to meet you."

"So, what's our task?" Eurydice questioned. "Some beast to fight? To gather ten rare plants – or to face off against your soldiers in combat-"

"Oh, no, no." Quinn chuckled. "Nothing so strenuous as all that. No, your test…" He paused to wipe his glasses. "Is to successfully map the first floor of the labyrinth."

"M-map?" Eurydice stammered. The Subaltern nodded.

"Map. Now, if you'll go see the scribes, they'll see to it that you're provided with some parchment that already has some preliminary drawings done – just a little push to get you started, you know, and of course, the junior pass for entrance into the first level of the Labyrinth…"

* * *

"Map." Eurydice repeated blankly as the five of them strolled back towards the Labyrinth.

Behind her, Mihawk kept her eyes low, carefully studying the parchment. It looked rather worn, and it was obviously a copy that had been produced many times before, but it was well detailed.

Silently, she reached into her back and pulled out a piece of charcoal. She usually kept a few of these on her person – never knew when you needed to mark something down, after all, and covered over a line that had been partially rubbed out.

Up ahead, Lash appeared rather relaxed, whistling to himself as he strolled forward. Grinning, he flicked some of his dark blue hair back and turned his gaze to Eurydice. "C'mon, boss! It's not so bad as all that! We were going to need good maps of the place anyway, so we don't get lost – and I wouldn't trust any of the other guilds as far as I could throw them. What better way to ensure accuracy than to make them ourselves?"

"That's not the issue!" Eurydice countered hotly. "Is any of us here trained in cartography? You? Quark?" the raven-haired Alchemist shook his head in response. "Medigirl?" not even waiting for an answer, Eurydice turned. "Mihawk?"

Mihawk coughed shyly. "Well, as it so happens…"

That gave Eurydice pause. "You mean you know cartography?"

The Survivalist nodded. "Uhm… yes. Sort of."

The blonde Protector stood there dumbly for a few seconds before shaking her head. "Well, you're the best we've got, so I guess that's that."

Mihawk nodded, and the tiny group continued their journey towards the Labyrinth.

* * *

"Five minute walk from the outskirts of the town." Lash murmured as he gave his whip an experimental flick.

The five of them were arrayed in a loose semicircle formation as they stared down at the path that would lead them into the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. As they peeked past the veil of leaves and branches, they could almost catch a glimpse of the emerald grove that awaited them.

"Everyone ready?" Eurydice called. "Lash, your gear?"

"Ready." The Dark Hunter nodded confidently.

"Mihawk?"

"My weapons have been properly outfitted." Mihawk finished wrapping a thick scarf around her neck – one that also served to obscure her mouth and chin. "I'm ready."

"Quark?"

"…"

"Um, right. Medigirl? You got all your salves, your potions, whatever?"

"Yup! Raring to go!" The orange-haired medic fairly beamed.

"Alright." Eurydice took a deep breath, and as one, Paragon Guild stepped forward.

The lush greenery of the forest closed in around them.

* * *

"Wow…" Cassandra whispered to herself as she stood in the tiny grove, gazing around in wonder at the first floor of the Labyrinth. "It's beautiful…"

In the early morning light, drops of dew sparkled on the lower leaves. Around them, wildflowers and grass made soft crunching sounds as they were trodden over. In the distance, Cassandra heard the soft hooting of birds as they flitted about.

"So, where do we go from here?" She heard Lash talking, but her mind was more on the tiny pink flowers that seemed to dot the entire area. Crouching, she quickly produced a tiny garden spade, attempting to dig out one of the nearby flowers.

"Hey! Medigirl!"

Startled out of her task by Eurydice's annoyed snap, she glanced to see the leader of the guild glaring down at her. "Focus, would you? You can carry out your little gardening sideshow later."

Cassandra quickly pocketed her tools and hurried after the group, mumbling hasty apologies as she felt her face go hot.

However, before she actually caught up with the others, Mihawk thrust an arm out, warding her off. "Get back!"

"Wha – ah!" A tiny blur darted out from the undergrowth, narrowly missing a collision with the young healer. And Cassandra stumbled back, she could hear the echoing 'snap!' of biting teeth.

"Aggressive little blighter, ain't he." Lash whistled as he unfurled his whip.

"Watch out – its got company." Eurydice said tersely as she whirled to face another one of the creatures.

_Treerats._ Cassandra's mind still continued to process the situation as she scrambled to her feet, clutching her staff. _Tiny, vicious biters that roam the higher floors of the Labyrinth – they've got a nasty bite, but their strength is in numbers. A tendency for cowardice when facing foes alone._

_Zip- thud!_ Mihawk had drawn and fired, piercing the treerat that had attempted to attack Cassandra. It gave a short squeak and flopped over, dead.

Meanwhile, Eurydice's shield had successfully stymied the second treerat's attempts at gnawing on the Protector's neck – and a quick strike from Lash's whip had wounded it to the point where it had decided not to tempt fate any further and scurried back into the bushes.

"Everyone okay? Medigirl?"

"Fine – I'm fine." Cassandra nodded. "It just… startled me."

The leader of their group nodded. "Alrght, according to the preliminary map we were given, there's a large clearing up ahead – and at this time of the day, there're probably other explorers in the vicinity too. Move out, everyone."

As the group turned and ventured deeper into the forest, Cassandra gazed down at the defeated Treerat. She frowned. One of its teeth seemed loose…

Reaching down, she pried it out with a quick tug. Quickly wrapping the small fang in a bundle of soft paper, she hurried after the guild.

* * *

The clearing was indeed populated by several other explorers, most of them seemingly content to laze about in the verdant glade without much bother or fuss.

Eurydice paused, frowning uncertainly. There were several paths branching off, presumably leading deeper into the woodlands.

"I wonder…" She murmured to herself.

A soft _sccrrch, scrrch_ noise drew her attention, and she glanced backwards to see Mihawk with the map supported in her palm. The archer was slowly sketching on the parchment with a nub of charcoal. Eurydice shrugged – she could only assume Mihawk knew what she was doing.

"Ey! You!" The sudden shout drew her attention, and she glanced over to see someone approaching the group. Apparently his focus was directed on the whipfighter of the group.

"Lash! That's you, ain't it? Lash!"

Lash quirked an eyebrow, before his eyes widened. "Well, knock me over with a feather! If it ain't Woody!"

The messily dressed man chuckled. "Always wondered what became of you after you up and left our bunch of mercs! And now here we are – in the Labyrinth!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Eurydice caught sight of Quark peering curiously into the trees.

"I suppose. Hey, how long have you been around these parts? I've been here a couple months, but I never actually did catch sight of you."

"Ah, the group I'm traveling with now – we've been rooted in Etria for nigh well over a year. We don't do all that heavy duty exploring and all-"

Eurydice turned away. While she was certain that Lash and 'Woody' were in for a pleasant experience of catching up, she herself wasn't much interested. She headed after the guild's silent Alchemist.

"Quark?"

"Quiet." He held up a single hand. Eurydice flung both her arms into the air in a gesture of exasperation (a rather noisy gesture of exasperation, given all the armour she was wearing), and turned away.

* * *

_Scrrch, scrrch._

_Scrrch, scrrch._

Mihawk's eyes narrowed as she traced dark lines over the well worn parchment that was to become the map of the area. Standing, she took several steps forward, tracing her progress in relation to the map.

It was extremely imprecise, of course – she could fix things up properly once they returned to the inn – but it was good enough, and she had surprised herself at her apparent ability at cartography. Well, if it could be put to good use…

Loosing her dagger from her belt, she reached up and slashed it across the bark of a tree, drawing a deep gash on it and exposing the pale yellow wood beneath.

"H-hey!"

At the startled call, Mihawk shifted her gaze to the medic. "What is it, Medigirl?" She knew that it wasn't the girl's real name, but it fit, and the girl didn't seem to mind – as far as Mihawk could tell, she even seemed to treat it as a sign of acceptance by her peers.

"Sh – should you do that?" The orange-haired healer said softly.

"Hm?" Mihawk glanced back at the tree. "It's no big deal, after all – my mark isn't severe enough to seriously injure it…"

"Yeah, but… I don't think you should go around making cuts on trees for no good reason…"

Mihawk chuckled. "As it just so happens, I _do_ have a good reason. See this map?" She unfurled it and held it up for Cassandra to see. "When I make a mark on a tree, I make the same mark at the same place on the map – that way, we'll know where we are in relation to the map, and our best routes out of here."

"Oh… I see."

Personally, Mihawk still thought that the medic looked a little too confused, but she let that pass. "Good. Now, shall we-"

She was interrupted by a call from Eurydice. "Over here, people!"

Mihawk shared a glance with Cassandra. "Let's go."

* * *

"So, you're not interested in going in too deep?"

"Nope." Woody grinned easily. "I figure I can leave that to the foolhardy ones to go as deep as they want – me, as long as I can turn a living, I'm satisfied."

Lash smirked in response. "You never did have that drive, eh? You always hang back."

"What can I say? Keeps me safe and comfortable, gets me some coin – I'm not complaining."

"Hah!" Lash snorted. "You haven't changed a bit!"

"Lash!"

"Alright, I'm coming!" The Dark Hunter snapped before turning back to Woody. "See you later, man."

"Sure thing. Don't go and get yourself killed, you hear?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Lash mumbled as he trotted along after the rest of Paragon. "Easier said than done, amigo. Easier said than done."

* * *

"So _that_ plant over there, it's the _Hien_. It's among the most common type of wildflower in the 1st Stratum of the Labyrinth, and it's said to have cooling properties when brewed into a tea. However, there's a slight amount of toxin in it, so it's generally recommended that you don't take more than…"

Quark let the medic's cheerful voice fade out of focus as he continued his trek through the woods. Regardless of her skill as a medic – and thus far, she hadn't had much opportunity to demonstrate her skill as one – he had come to the conclusion that this girl was… well, to put it simply, a massive nuisance.

A woodfly fluttered past his ear, and he waved it away with his staff, barely paying it any heed. He supposed the group would take their time in making it deeper to the stratum – they appeared competent enough to know that rushing things would only serve to get themselves killed.

No matter – he wasn't in any hurry. It'd taken long enough, anyway. A little longer wouldn't matter… Patience was a virtue, and all that drabble…

"Hm, what's that?"

"What's what?"

"That… Is that… a bag?"

Quark glanced over. Yes, it did appear that a satchel or pack of some sort was in the ground.

"Not surprised no one else has found it." Lash chuckled. "We're pretty far of the beaten path."

"I see animal tracks in the soil." Mihawk reported as she crouched down. Moving closer to the bag, she nudged it with an edge of her bow. "There's dried blood on the thing."

"The Labyrinth is filled with dangers…" Quark spoke softly. "Those who venture… must be prepared for… unpleasant circumstances."

No one responded immediately, although he noted that the medic – Cassandra, wasn't it – seemed a shade paler than a moment ago. Meanwhile, Mihawk simply closed her eyes and turned away.

Eurydice shook her head. "D – don't be silly. I'm sure someone just fled from here and left his pack behind in the process. There's no body, after all."

"…" Quark could think of several unpleasant things the local wildlife could do that would ensure that no body was ever found, but decided against speaking up – the argument really wasn't a big deal anyway.

After several seconds spent in silence, Lash piped up. "So… are we going to see what's in the bag, or what?"

There was a sigh from the leader of the guild. "I suppose." She mumbled grudgingly. "No one's come to claim the pack or anything, it's free property in the Labyrinth." Crouching, she yanked the tattered bag closer to her and began to rummage inside.

"Well, based on how badly rotten the food in here is, the bag's been here for a while." Eurydice reported. "Boy, does it ever stink."

Quark frowned. He'd… felt something…

"Hm, a book… 'The care and feeding of pet crows'. Right. Guy apparently goes for the more exotic types of pets…"

He turned slowly. A rustling in the nearby bush… trickles of dirt being dislodged from the ground…

Out of the corner of his eye, he noted Mihawk drawing an arrow from her quiver and he mentally revised his opinion of her up a notch. Apparently she had noticed the ambush as well.

"And… oh, what's this? Looks like some sort of **HOLY CRAP!**" Eurydice threw herself backwards as a dark blur shot from the bushes, gleaming claws extended to slash at the Protector. The Shield Maiden brought her Aspis up in an attempt to block it, but the creature lunged forward, managing to score a blow on her cheek.

Meanwhile, two more of the creatures – Moles, apparently had appeared from behind, apparently attempting to do the travelers in.

"Medigirl, get behind me." Mihawk said quickly as she stepped forward, loosing an arrow. As luck would have it, the creature had raised its arm to strike down, and the arrow impacted with one of its foreclaws. The bone snapped free and tumbled to the ground, leaving the Mole to let out a screech of pain and anger.

Meanwhile, Lash's whip was doing an adequate job of keeping the third enraged Mole at a safe distance, but he wasn't having much success with landing a hit on the agile beast. Abruptly, the creature crouched low and lunged, closing much of the distance between the Dark Hunter and the woodland dweller.

"Whoa! Hey! Hey!" Lash yelped in surprise and alarm as he twisted and swerved, trying to prevent the Mole from scoring a hit on him.

"Stop dodging!" Eurydice snapped at him as she tried to defend herself from the Mole that had originally attacked her. "Just block the attacks – it'll waste less strength."

"You want to tell me how I'm going to block things with a _whip_?" Lash countered testily. Finally, he succeeded in striking his opponent, drawing a red line across the back.

The Mole cried out in pain and anger, and prepared to lunge again.

"_Levitas."_ Quark said softly.

A bolt of golden lightning seared out from his palm, illuminating the clearing as it came into contact with the Mole attacking Lash. When it faded, the beast was lying still, a smoking hole on its back evident.

Elsewhile, Eurydice had managed to knock the Mole flat with a kick, and before it could recover she drove her blade through the creature. She hadn't escaped from her battle unscathed, however – Quark could detect several wounds crossing over parts of her body that weren't covered in metal.

_CRACK!_ The slash of the whip from Lash brought down the last of the Moles, Mihawk stopping her assault in order to regather what arrows she could salvage.

Quark paused, surveyed the area. _Not bad for a serious fight._ He decided. _Of course, we could stand a little more teamwork, but…_

"AH! Eurydice!" Cassandra's frantic call startled him and he glanced over to see the Medic hurrying to the wounded warrior's side, pulling several vials from her pack. "H- hang on, I'll fix those wounds right up."

Hurriedly, but with expert precision, she mixed up several of the fluids, handing it to Eurydice to drink. After that she drew out some salve as well as her staff, quickly applying it to the bleeding areas as the weary Shield Maiden sat silently on the forest floor.

Finally, Cassandra stepped back, a shaky smile on her face. "F- feel better?" She inquired.

Eurydice closed her eyes and nodded, a smile on her face. "Lots." With a sigh, she clambered to her feet. "Thanks, Medigirl. You know your stuff."

"Ah – no – no problem at all, really!"

Eurydice frowned. "Mihawk, what's the map show?"

"Well, we've branched off to the left. I took the liberty of talking with some guys back in the main clearing, and apparently there's another path that curves behind the entrance."

"Hm… all right. We've still got enough energy and time to do one more trek. Then I suppose we can retire for the day. Let's get going."

* * *

Later, as the party continued through the woods, Lash sauntered closer to Mihawk.

"Have you noted down the odd stuff we've seen?"

Mihawk didn't glance up from her parchment. "Such as?"

"Well, the spring, for one. The funny ivy covered door, for another."

"Yep, both of them are noted. If we find out anything more we can always come back…"

"Whew!" Mihawk glanced up to see Medigirl – Cassandra – tottering unsteadily. "Are you tired?" She asked the Medic kindly.

"Y – yeah." She let out a shaky grin. "But don't worry. I – I can handle it…"

"… Something I'd rather not risk." Lash murmured. Before he could continue, however, Eurydice halted.

"Hm, a nice, flower filled clearing." She paused. "We could use a short rest, couldn't we?"

Quark closed his eyes. "No objections."

"Fine with me." Lash smirked.

"Good idea, I needed to refine this map a little more anyway." Mihawk replied.

Cassandra tried – unsuccessfully – to keep the look of relief from her face. "That sounds great." She said enthusiastically.

"Right, then." Eurydice let her satchel drop to the ground with a thud, and the rest of the group settled down.

Mihawk turned back to her map before noticing that Medigirl was currently fingering a fragment of bone. "Where'd you get that?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, you know those Moles we were fighting earlier? Yeah, After the fight I just scooped up a few of the pieces – I can have them checked later."

The archer raised her eyebrow inquisitively. "Why?"

The Medic blushed. "Oh, it's kinda… embarrassing… I really don't think we need to talk about it…"

"Well, if that's what you want…" Mihawk picked up the charcoal and was about to return to her map. Then she paused, and frowned.

"Does anyone else… hear buzzing?" She questioned.

* * *

Chapter End.

* * *

Thanks for reading, please review. 


	4. 3: As the Wheel Turns

Valde Incompertus Silva

* * *

I'm considering removing the Latin titles for this story since I feel they just come off as pretentious.

Also, ETRIAN ODYSSEY 2 ANNOUNCED! PAR-TAY! PAR-TAY!

* * *

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Eurydice glanced up. Even in the gathering gloom of nightfall, she could spot several insects through the trees. The presence of woodflies wasn't unusual – they'd run into a number of them during the journey. However, there was something… different about this bunch…

_Purple?_ _I don't think I've seen a purple woodfly before._ She thought idly. Well, they weren't going to be much of a threat either way-

There was a sudden clatter and Medigirl had stumbled to her feet, clutching her staff, staring wide-eyed at the first of the insects that emerged from the dense foliage.

"V- venomflies! They're venomflies!"

Eurydice frowned as she drew her sword. She didn't claim to be intimately familiar with the fauna of the Labyrinth in the least, but something with a name like 'venomfly' didn't conjure up too many positive connotations.

Mihawk had likewise leapt to her feet, smoothly drawing her bow. "Here they come." She warned.

Eurydice shook her head. Obviously this bunch was going to be a lot more hostile than the woodflies. The swarmed through the trees, several dozen, all told.

_CRACK!_ Lash had decided on a 'strike first, ask later' policy, and his whip slashed through the air, scattering the venomflies.

They were coming in thick now, and as they fluttered over the area, powder floated off their wings, sprinkling the area in a sparkling dust. Eurydice frowned as some of the powder landed on a flower – within seconds, it began to wither.

_Potent stuff._ She thought as she swung her shield in an outward arc, once more scattering the flies and preventing them from getting too close to her. _Guess we know how they got their name…_

_Zip! Shrrk!_ An arrow loosed by Mihawk flew through the air, shredding the wing of a venomfly. The creature spun about in a dance as it rapidly lost altitude and velocity, finally crumpling to the ground.

"_Fulgaralis."_ The word from Quark was so soft it was almost a whisper, but the streaks of golden lightning sprouting from the Alchemist's hands were undeniable in their efficacy. Three of the insects were flash-fried by the powerful spell, and another had its wing punctured, dooming it to the same fate that had befallen the one targeted by Mihawk.

Eurydice and Lash, whose weapons were less effective against the tiny insects for a variety of obvious reasons, focused on keeping the venomflies away from the party so Mihawk and Quark could finish them.

Then, abruptly, one of the venomflies darted forward, latching onto Mihawk's neck. The archer gave a cry of pain and surprise and instinctively reached up to yank the offending insect away. As she crushed the bug in her hand, Eurydice spotted a tiny bite-mark on her neck, and what appeared to be a bit of a dark stain.

Shaking her head, she turned back to the battle. The distraction had cost them – the venomflies had approached much closer now, and everything was becoming a lot more harried.

Tightening her grip on her sword, she continued the fight.

* * *

Quark could feel beads of sweat forming on his brow as he prepared another spell to hurl at the hostile creatures.

Well, that was perfectly natural. Spell-casting – and especially of the sustained nature required in combat – was taxing on just about anyone, and he had trained himself to be able to keep at it for a long time.

He wasn't an expert in the intelligence of insectoids, but he wondered if the venomflies were aware that they were losing the battle.

Another bolt of lightning, another short jump back to avoid the darting tackle of a venomfly, and Quark felt the rough bark of a tree pressed up against his back. Hm – that changed things.

Two more of the venomflies fluttered up menacingly, about to lurch for him. Quark sighed, bringing up his carved oaken staff. As the first one charged he sidestepped and swung his weapon like a club, batting the insect to the ground. A crude way of fighting – but effective.

Before the other could make a move, he had already pointed at it, uttered his incantation, and incinerated it.

"They're backing off!"

The shout from the excitable Dark Hunter caused him to glance up. Yes, what remained of the venomflies (and it wasn't much, really) were flying back into the woods. Lash paused to flick his whip out at the last of the tiny figures, and turned back.

Fresh from a rather taxing battle, they paused to assess the damages. Quark turned and cast a critical gaze upon the group's Medic. Naturally she hadn't partaken in the battle, and now she was glancing around nervously.

"They… they're usually seen a bit deeper in." She mumbled. "I wonder why they'd be all the way up here…"

Before any of them could respond, Mihawk stumbled, and leaned – nearly fell – against a tree, gasping heavily for breath.

It was only then that the party remembered the archer had earlier been poisoned.

* * *

If Cassandra had considered herself nervous during the battle, then she was on the verge of a breakdown now. She'd thought they were safe! How could she have missed Mihawk being poisoned?

There was a dark blue-black patch around the area where the venomfly had bit Mihawk, and the archer was sweating and shivering violently.

_Venomfly bites contain Aunim poison… causes massive exhaustion, shortness of breath, muscle aches…_ Medigirl rummaged around in her pack. _It – it's a miracle Mihawk was able to keep fighting for as long as she did…_ She paused. _She probably got some of the powder on its wings on her too…_

Finally grabbing the necessary materials, she hurriedly mixed all of them together, unhappily aware that the rest of the team was standing around in an awkward silence.

"Here, drink." She said quickly as she placed the vial at Mihawk's lips, tipping the Survivalist's head back enough so that she could drink it.

As the thick green medicine worked its way through the brunette's body, Cassandra stood back, a look of concern on her face.

She turned back to look at the others. "We need to get her back to town quickly."

Eurydice frowned. "What, the medicine you gave her wasn't enough or-"

"It can counteract the poison, but we need to be more thorough." Cassandra shook her head. "Please, just – just hurry."

"You heard her!" Eurydice snapped. "Get our gear and move it!"

* * *

They had ended up taking a wrong turn along the way, but it had turned out to be a stroke of good luck, for the clearing they stumbled into had a path – long hidden by trees and undergrowth that led them almost right to the entrance. A few of the forest denizens had tried to give them a hard time, but they were beaten off with little effort.

Through it all, the survivalist had demanded that she carry herself, and not be treated as an invalid. And despite the suffering that she was obviously going through, she'd persevered all the way to the town square, where Medigirl had quickly bundled her off to the Ceft Apothecary, while the others had headed off to the inn.

The Shield Maiden sighed to herself as she leaned back in her wooden chair. "Well, close calls aside-"

"We'll be seeing a lot more of those the deeper we go, eh?" Lash grinned.

"I guess. Anyway, as I was saying, close calls aside, I think we did pretty well for our first trip in." Eurydice glanced over at Quark, who was sitting quietly in the corner. "What say you, sir Mage?"

"…More teamwork is needed." Came the terse reply.

"…Right." Eurydice blew out a breath of air. "Teamwork."

"Speaking of which, anyone else feel like a nice meal?" Lash stood up. "C'mon, let's hit the pubs or something. I know a place that serves a _great_ roast-"

"I don't want to leave before Mihawk gets back." Eurydice paused. "And Medigirl too, of course."

"Oh, yeah, her." Lash gave the Protector a lopsided grin. "And where'd you dig her up? She looks like she barely stepped out of her nappies."

"…Don't ask." Eurydice closed her eyes. "She's shown herself to have a good head on her shoulders, and enough in between her ears to keep us from bleeding to death, and that's good enough for me."

"True enough – and speak of the devil." Lash waved as the two warriors stepped into the cheerily-lit inn. "Heya! How're you holding up, 'Hawkeyes?"

The archer smirked slightly at the moniker the Dark Hunter had chosen to bestow on her. "Fine. It was a pretty easy process to purge the poison."

"Yeah!" Medigirl nodded enthusiastically. "Grandfather really knows a lot about dealing with poisons and stuff!"

"Capital!" Lash slammed one hand onto the table. "Now, as I said before you fine ladies made your way over, I'm starving, so how about we head out and find ourselves a nice, hot meal?"

Eurydice chuckled as she stood and stretched. "Well, that sounds like a fine idea. And in honour of our first successful venture into the labyrinth, allow your caring, generous guild leader to treat you all to dinner tonight."

"I can get behind that." Lash grinned.

"W-wow, thanks!" Medigirl looked positively radiant.

"Well, shall we be off?" Mihawk said softly. "Our bellies aren't getting any more full just standing here."

* * *

"One lousy meal and you freeloaders nearly cleaned me out!" Cassandra heard Eurydice ranting rather noisily in the background. The young Medic chuckled – she knew there was no real ire behind the Shield Maiden's words, despite her raised volume.

She glanced over – Lash was grinning widely as he tipped back a mug containing some sort of drink, letting the contents wash down his throat. Quark had his eyes closed as he chewed away at some sort of meat, and Eurydice was standing and pointing at Lash.

She blew out a long breath of air and turned back to the book she was reading – she was never that fond of being loud and boisterous, and she was just uncomfortable enough of the others to not want to get too involved in the party.

After several seconds of reading, she noticed a shadow being cast over the pages and she glanced up to see Mihawk standing beside her silently.

"Oh, h – hello!" She stammered. "Do you need anything?"

"Nah." The archer allowed the trace of a smile to grace her mouth – Cassandra could see the edges of it peeking out behind her thick scarf.

"So… what are you doing here?"

Mihawk blew out a sigh and sat down on the stool next to Cassandra, her back against the table. "Nothing much. I just wanted to say thanks for your aid back in the Labyrinth."

"Oh! Uh…" Cassandra managed a smile. "It was nothing, honest! I'm trained in all those sort of things. It's my job, you know."

"Doesn't change the fact that you helped me out." Mihawk extended her gloved hand to the young Medic. "Thank you… Medigirl."

Cassandra smirked at her nickname and reached over to grasp the archer's hand. "You're welcome… Mihawk."

* * *

As he watched the two of them, Lash's grin grew wider. "Well, looks like Medigirl and Hawkeyes are hitting it off pretty well."

He turned his neck to look at Eurydice. "Oy, fearless leader! Where'd you find Mihawk from, anyway?"

"She was originally from another guild, that's all I know." The Protector replied distractedly – her attention was mostly diverted by the large bowl of meat stew she had in front of her, and given the wonderful smell emanating from the thick broth, Lash couldn't say he half-blamed her.

"The Atropos Guild, if you really want to know." Lash swiveled his chair as he heard the voice of Valerie from the bar counter.

"Figured you'd know about her." The Dark Hunter chuckled. "You keep tabs on everyone in Etria."

"It wasn't a secret by any means." The woman shook her head, letting some of her chestnut hair splay across her shoulders. "They were among the best explorers the town had seen thus far – they were almost always trying to be the first to dig as deep in as they could."

"Then, about a month ago, they went into the Labyrinth…" Valerie pursed her lips. "And they were never heard from again."

"…"

She shook her head, 'Oh, don't let me get you kids down. Just remember you're never too good for the Labyrinth to claim you."

"Mmhm." Eurydice swallowed rather noisily and turned to Valerie. "So, uh, what about Mihawk?"

"No one really knows – not even her." Valerie's smile gained a tint of melancholy about it. "A group found her lying in a broken heap in the third floor of the Labyrinth – and just in time, too, since there were some wolves nosing around the area. They took her back to Etria, and when she woke up a week later she didn't remember much of anything – including her name. I suppose 'Mihawk' is as good a name to go by as any – but you can't help but feel that she'd be happier knowing who she really is."

Eurydice and Lash both shifted their gaze to look at the table where the young archer was holding a rather animated discussion with their medic.

Valerie chuckled sadly. "She deserves that much, really."

* * *

After the meal, they'd continued chatting for a few more hours before splitting up and heading back to wherever it was they had their lodgings. Eurydice had holed herself up in the Golden Rooster Inn since her arrival in Etria, and it had held up well enough – _especially_ in the arena providing her a nice, hot tub to soak in at the end of a long day.

Stripping herself of her rather dingy tunic and pants, she paused to look in the mirror. Sharp blue eyes gazed back at her as she flipped her golden hair back over her shoulder.

"Not bad at all, even if I do say so myself." She chuckled wanly and removed the last of her undergarments before stepping over to the bathtub.

"Aaaahhhhhhhh…" A long sigh of contentment escaped her lips as she immersed herself in the steaming water, all the way up to her neck. Living as a wandering adventurer meant that you had to get used to dirt and grime covering your body – and she had, but she doubted anything could ever get her to give up her love of a nice, warm bath.

She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the metal rim of the tub, and let her mind sift through the experiences of the day… and the challenges that lay ahead.

"…We're going to need more people." She mumbled after a few moments of silence.

* * *

"We'll reach the town in a couple of days." Franz said softly, and Ewan nodded in reply.

The two horseriders were little more than dark blurs against the backdrop of night as they rode steadily onwards.

The blonde-haired alchemist shifted his gaze over the quiet landscape – despite the relatively cooler atmosphere, few travelers chose the nighttime paths – partly because of the lack of visibility and the ever present fear of bandits.

Well, it was no big deal – between Franz's blade and his formulae, it wouldn't be much of an issue dealing with bandits that showed up along the way. It was pretty much a moot point regardless, since they hadn't met much in the way of trouble for the duration of their journey.

Well, that also gave some time for introspection, and pondering about their task.

Ewan sighed and gave rise to the thoughts that he had been entertaining for a while. "You sure about this, Franz? We don't know much about the Labyrinth – for all we know, finding a cure for Amelia could take months, if not years," he hesitated, not wanting to confront his friend with the harshness of reality. "…If we can find one at all."

"…" Franz bowed his head.

"We could be going off on some wild goose chase, while Amelia-"

"I know." Franz said abruptly, cutting Ewan off. "But what do you want me to do, Ewan? You and I are warriors. Even if I were to stay at Amelia's side, I wouldn't be able to do anything for her – that's the job of the apothecaries and medics. The Labyrinth has produced various medicines that can be found nowhere else in the world… it's the one place that my skills as a fighter can be put to use for Amelia's sake."

"…" Ewan closed his eyes. Franz had obviously thought long and hard about this, and while he couldn't refute his friend's logic, he still felt troubled by having to leave the village girl behind as they went out on their expedition.

"Whoa!" Franz's startled call snapped Ewan back to alertness, and as his eyes darted across the area, he caught sight of a dark shape at the roadside.

As he pulled his steed to a stop, Ewan began to distinguish more features about the 'shape'. For one thing, it was a man, dressed in the robes of a traveler. He smiled up at them as he chewed away at stalk of grass in his mouth.

"Evenin' gents!" He touched his forehead in a brief gesture of welcome. "Am I right in guessin' that you're headed for the fine town of Etria?"

"You are." Franz said cautiously. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, as it so happens, I'd huntin' for a ride there myself. Whaddya say to a givin' a weary traveler a lift, 'm?"

Franz's hand strayed to his sword. "How do I know you're not a bandit or thief who'd just as soon slit our throats and rob our corpses?" He said sternly.

"Ha! You don't mince words, that's for sure." The man gave an elaborate bow. "The name's Orpheus, and I'm in the trade of making music. If you want to see my harp, it's right here." The man brushed a strand of silver-grey hair back from his forehead. "Now, if you fine gents like, I could play you a ditty or two to-"

"That won't be necessary." Franz cut in. "As it so happens, we're in a bit of a hurry."

"Hm." The man sighed. "Well, if that's the case, then feel free to move along. You're not the first bunch to have turned me down, and I'd wager you won't be the last either." She shook his head.

Ewan frowned. "How'd someone like you get to be out here in the middle of nowhere anyway?"

"Ah, well, I was traveling with a caravan of sorts, and, well, to cut a long story short, they kicked me out on the roadside. They said that I was a nice fellow and all, but they couldn't stand another word of my songs."

Franz and Ewan paused to trade looks of disbelief. "So… why didn't you just stop singing?"

"Why, masters, how could I possibly do that?" Orpheus looked positively aghast. "A song's not just some words with a tune! It's a cry from the heart, a melody of the soul, a-"

"Yeah, yeah, okay, we get it." Franz snapped. With a sigh, he turned to look at Ewan. "Your thoughts?"

"He seems harmless enough." _If slightly off-kilter._

"Alright." Franz nodded and turned to Orpheus. "Master Orpheus, we're not opposed to having you travel with us, but under one condition."

"Name it, my good man."

"No singing. At least until we reach Etria."

Orpheus sighed and gave a disconsolate strum across his harp. "Expected as much. Very well, good masters, you've got yourselves a deal."

"Good, then hop on. You'll probably want to take Ewan's horse – I'm carrying a lot of armour and I'm not sure the horse would do well with the extra weight."

As the Troubadour saddled himself, Ewan and Franz shared a look and a nod, and then they were off, heading into the night.

* * *

"Th – this is all I have! I swear!"

"Shut up! Don't you dare lie to me!"

"It's the truth! I – I promise! Please!"

While Franz and Ewan had not been the target of any bandit raids, others were not as fortunate. A particular merchant had been planning on changing his residence, and had brought his family along with him. Unfortunately, the hired guard had proved… less than adequate.

Which is to say they dropped their weapons and fled at the first sight of trouble.

The merchant was now forehead to the dusty ground as his trembling wife hugged their weeping son and daughter close to them. The leader of the party stalked around the merchant, howling demands at the shivering figure.

Meanwhile the four bandits were busy ransacking the caravan, stripping it of whatever valuables they could find.

So engrossed were they in their search that they failed to notice the approaching figure – until a gleaming axe was planted into their leader's skull.

As he fell to the ground with a thud, the others glanced up to see a wild-haired woman wielding a hefty hand axe, eyes narrowed at 'em.

There was a moment of shocked silence as the bandits paused to consider this new factor, and then an explosion of movement as the bandits advanced, drawing weapons and yelling battle cries.

She shifted her position to dodge the first blow – a strike from an axe much like her own, before retaliating with an uppercut that quite literally sent the man flying. As the next one stabbed downwards with a dagger, she blocked his arm with her own and slashed his belly open, staining herself with a swathe of crimson blood.

The last one wielded both an axe and a blade – both rather crude but deadly tools. He advanced, weapons flashing in the sunlight, forcing the unnamed woman back. He grinned fiercely – she couldn't retreat forever and then-

A sudden flash of movement and suddenly the man found himself on the floor. A second later the pain hit him and he realized what happened. Somehow, he'd never taken a woman for the type who'd go for a cheap shot like kneeing someone in the groin.

A sudden shout startled the axefighter, where the last of the thugs had grabbed the infant son and was now holding a dagger to his neck. "You – you come any closer and this kid gets it!" He snarled, trying to keep the tremor from his voice.

The female merely gave an elaborate sigh. "Using a child as a shield?" She said in a rather rough voice. "Now _that's_ low."

_Zip. Thock!_

The bandit's frozen expression of shock remained as he collapsed to the ground, the dagger still sticking out from his forehead.

The Landsknecht walked over and pulled out the dagger. Wiping it slightly, she tucked it away. "You guys should be fine," she said without looking back. "You got rope, right? There's not much fight left in the survivors so tie 'em up or something and leave 'em on the roadside. There'll be a patrol in a few minutes anyway." Saying so, she began to walk away.

"W-wait, please!" The merchant called after her. "I must at least repay you for your aid!"

She turned back with a fierce grin. "Oh, don't bother, gramps. Smashing in bandit heads is its own reward."

And with that, Rosalina Lenson continued on her trek towards Etria.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Please review. 


	5. 4: The Descent Begins

Valde Incompertus Silva

* * *

Disclaimer: I own nothing

(I have no idea what sort of pidgin accent Shilleka is supposed to be talking with, so I just winged it.)

* * *

As Eurydice descended the stairs, she was both pleased and unhappy that everyone else appeared to be ready and waiting for their second venture into the labyrinth. Pleased because it signified the group had discipline and punctuality. Unhappy because it meant that she was the last to arrive.

"Right," she began as soon as she reached them. "Lash here says he knows a dealer that can hook us up with good equipment at a reasonable price. I know most of our weapons are rather simple ones, and I thought it'd be a good idea to go check out this store first. Any objections?"

Mihawk raised her hand. "Not really an objection, but I'd like to go show the Subaltern my map – I think it should be good enough for his purposes."

"Hm, good point." Eurydice pursed her lips. "I think we should all go together for that one. Make it look more… I dunno, official or whatnot."

Lash nodded and stood. "Well, let's be off, then."

* * *

"Ah, you're the new guild I met the other day!" Quinn smiled broadly as he extended his hand in greeting to Eurydice. "Have you come to deliver any good news?"

Eurydice shrugged ever so slightly. "Well, that would depend on what's good in your worldview – however, our cartographer believes that the map of the first floor of the labyrinth should be up to your standards."

_Cartographer?_ Mihawk suppressed an urge to roll her eyes at that remark. It made it sound so… stiff, so formal – words that she was fairly certain didn't apply to her in the least.

The Subaltern chuckled. "Well, good work. But I'm really not the one you should be presenting the map to. Please show it to the scribes down the hall – once it has been approved, then you can return to me and we'll carry on with procedure."

"Oh… okay." Eurydice glanced behind her shoulder. "Uh, Mihawk? You come with me. The rest of you can wait here and… don't get into trouble."

As the two departed, the Radha member glanced around at the three remaining members. "Hm… only five members total for your guild? That's rather small, isn't it?"

Lash shrugged. "Well, we're always hiring. If more want to come, they can."

Quinn nodded and turned back to his files. After a significant pause, he looked up at Quark. "I don't mean to intrude… but… I'm almost certain I've seen you before."

The Alchemist folded his arms and looked away. "Perhaps you have. What of it? _I_ do not recall meeting you."

"Perhaps not," Quinn chuckled. "Please, forgive my lapse in decorum then."

The group remained silent until Eurydice returned, a smile on her face. "It's been approved by the scribes," She said as soon as she came within hearing distance. "Here's the seal of approval to prove it."

"Excellent work." Quinn nodded. "Very well, then." Reaching into a cabinet, he pulled out a tiny sealed mark. "Here – your pass certifying you as a genuine explorers of the Guild. If you show it to any of the shopkeepers they'll start selling you Warp Wires."

"Oh?" Eurydice glanced up. "Warp Wires?"

"Yes, we've usually discouraged shopkeepers from selling these to explorers not officially sanctioned by the Radha since it'll mean they're less likely to take foolish risks and get themselves killed." Quinn gave a weary shake of his head. "You know how it is."

"O – of course." Eurydice nodded. "We'll be leaving now."

* * *

"Warp Wire?" Eurydice muttered as soon as she was out of the place. "What in the blazes is a Warp Wire?"

"You don't know?" Lash snorted. "They're special wires that allow to get to the geomagnetic field at the town square. You've seen it, haven't you? The huge glowing sigil? Yeah, you connect both ends of the Wire together, and the charge teleports you and anyone in you immediate vicinity to the town square. Once, some idiot tried using a Warp Wire to escape from a bunch of monsters chasing him and ended up bringing them back to town with him. Another managed to drag along a guy from a totally different guild out with him. They were only on the second floor down, so he wasn't _too_ pissed, but you best be careful when fooling around with that thing."

"I'll make a note of it." The leader of the Paragon guild sighed. She took a couple more steps and frowned. _If these Warp Wires are meant to help you out of binds…_ She turned to sneak a glance at Mihawk, walking alongside Cassandra. _Then why didn't Mihawk use one when she was trying to get back from the tenth floor or wherever it was she ran into problems?_

Possibly something that merited further study. Right now they were fast approaching the shop that Lash had talked about, and thus she had more important things to do right now.

Still, she filed away that question for later perusal. Just in case.

* * *

Shilleka glanced up from where she was manning her till, and as she did, a wide grin spread over her face. "Ey, if it ain' Lash!" she grinned. "Been too long sin'e I saw ya last! An' who're these fine folk you brought wit' ya?" She glanced over at the rest of the group. "Don't tell me you wen' and found yerself a guild?"

"Indeed I have." Lash's nodded. "Shilleka, wave hello to Eurydice here, head of the Paragon Guild, and my boss for the foreseeable future."

"Hello." Eurydice bowed her head in a gesture of welcome. "Uh… your store… it's kinda… well, barren, isn't it?"

Shilleka glanced over the shelves. "Well, I've got enough stuff t' equip most explorers fer basic level jungle-huntin'. Most don' go deeper 'n that. Still, yer right in sayin' I could have a touch more stock up here." She chuckled. "Mos' everythin' in this store is made from stuff y' can get from the Labyrinth. If I had t' supplies, I'd have more stuff t' put on the shelves, no problem!"

"Stuff?" Eurydice's interest was piqued now. "What sort of stuff?"

"Oh, bones 'n' fangs can be used t' make weapons, hides 'n' shells can be used t' make armour – the likes. Basically what you can pick up or hunt down in there."

"I see…" Eurydice mused silently. Behind her, Mihawk silently glanced up and down the selection of bows. Picking one off the rack, she gave it an experimental twang.

Shilleka glanced over. "There probably ain't much for someone like you here. Your own bow's quality work, and no mistake."

"…" Mihawk nodded imperceptibly. Just then, Eurydice cut in again. "Say… Shilleka, was it? How about we make a deal?"

The dark haired girl folded her arms across her ample chest. "I'm lis'ening." She nodded.

"You need materials for your work, right?" A nod in response. "We can gather those materials, can't we?" Another nod. "So… what say we help you gather the materials?"

"And what d' ya get out of it?"

"Well, I'm thinking you could offer us some discounted-" Eurydice hadn't even had time to finish her question before Shilleka grinned.

"Knew you'd ask fer somethin' like t'at." The storeowner shook her head. "Nope. No can do."

Lash grinned across at his guild leader. "What, fishing for lower prices? Shilleka's stuff is already pretty cheap compared to most other outfits in the area – and in terms of quality, she's all but unmatched. Her dad taught her everything she knew."

"Cheap's not good enough." Eurydice snapped. "In case you haven't forgotten, our liquid funds are _not_ infinite in supply. Sure, we could earn a bit more through odd jobs or whatnot, but-"

"Ah, so t'at's what it's about, eh?" Shilleka leaned across the counter. "Well t'en I have a proposal for _you._" She paused. "If you can bring me th' stuff I need t' make new weapons in 'quipment, I'll buy 'em from you."

"…" Eurydice folded her arms. "And then you'll make equipment from them… and we buy it back from you?"

"Correct!" Shilleka winked at Eurydice. "Deal?"

"…" Eurydice folded her arms. Lash grinned.

"C'mon, boss. By selling the stuff to her before buying it back, we're getting the discount you wanted anyway."

Eurydice blew out a sigh. "Fine. Now we're running jobs as a supplier…" She shrugged.

"Much obliged." Shilleka leaned back in her chair. "Now why don't you go and pick somet'in' out fer y'self. Got myself some decent shields over yonder…"

* * *

Cassandra walked over to a rack of staves. Picking one out, she swung it about slightly, feeling its weight in her arms. She wasn't really sure she wanted a new one – her old oak staff suited her just fine – for now, anyway.

Still… she knew she wasn't much use in direct fights, so maybe a tougher, more durable weapon would be better? Silently, she turned over the weapon in her hand, pondering.

Her reverie was broken by Quark tapping her on the shoulder and indicating that she should move out of the way. As she did so, he stepped forward, lifting one of the staffs out of the rack. Closing his eyes, he held it in his hand for several long seconds, apparently focusing on something only he could discern. Then he turned to the shopkeeper. "I'll take this one."

The shopkeeper… Cassandra looked away. She wasn't exactly familiar with 'the ways of the world', but she still felt rather awkward around someone who was wearing as little as she was. It _was_ rather warm in there, probably a product of the smelting fires in the backroom, but still…

Silently, she replace the weapon on the rack. It could wait until later, she told herself.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group continued looking over the available wares, once or twice haggling with the shopkeeper, and generally… well, shopping.

* * *

"Okay, we've all gotten what we needed." They were once more huddled around the entrance to the Labyrinth. "Based on the map, the way down is at the far end of this clearing. Our goal for today is to get there as fast as we can, check around the second floor, scout out potential paths, and then we'll retire for the day."

"Heh – wanting to take things easy, boss?" Lash grinned. "I can respect that."

Quark glared silently at the Dark Hunter, although of course Lash didn't notice. _He talks too much._

"All right, if there're no further issues…" Eurydice nodded. "Let's move."

Once more, they descended into the lush greenery of the forest. After taking a few quick glances around, Eurydice beckoned the group further in.

As they progressed, they encountered a few more tussles with the woodland denizens, but nothing that they couldn't handle. A brief moment of alarm was had when they chanced upon a strange crab that had an unusually tough shell – but Quark was able to slay it with his magic. True to their promise, they began gathering various parts of the animals – the tough shell of the crab could probably be used as some sort of shield – to sell back to the store later.

Abruptly, Mihawk signaled the party. "Over here, everyone."

They gathered around the staircase. "Built into a tree." Mihawk mumbled. "Just like the main entrance."

"Beggars, choosers, and something like that." Lash glanced around. "Anyone else wants to take first chances?"

"We're just going to the second level, Lash." Eurydice snorted. "It's not like anything _that_ dangerous would be waiting for us."

"Fine, then I suppose _you_ won't have any trouble forging ahead of the pack, fearless leader?" Lash aimed the question back at her.

Eurydice merely shot Lash a barbed glare before tightening her grip on her sword and stepping cautiously into the darkness.

After several seconds of hesitation, the others drew their weapons and followed.

* * *

Mihawk could hear Eurydice talking as they emerged into the second floor of the area. "There – like I said, there's barely any difference between this floor and the last in terms of aesthetics – it's just green and - and flowery."

"Duly noted." Lash shrugged. "So, which way do we go? Right or le-"

It was at that moment that several rabbits chose to jump the group. Acting more on instinct than anything else, Lash slashed his whip forward, sending one of the furry creatures to the floor with a squeal of pain. Another was quickly taken out by a combination of Quark's lightning and Eurydice's blade.

The remainders fled.

"Nasty little buggers." Lash muttered to no one in particular.

And with that, they continued further into the forest.

As they rounded a corner, they met a soldier loitering there, apparently having nothing of importance to be done. As he caught sight of them, an easy smile appeared on his face. "Well, well, explorers! Are you well equipped for your journey?"

"I… suppose so." Eurydice replied with a frown. "What's it to you?"

Mihawk's ears pricked up. She'd thought she'd heard something off in the distance… almost like hoof-beats. Strange.

"Well," the soldier continued on. "As it so happens I've some spare supplies I could part with, if you'd like. Here – some medicine, or a weapon."

"Or? Why not both?"

"Heh. Call me equal opportunity." The soldier shrugged. "Others will come by sooner or later so I'll need to have some stuff for them as well, won't I?" He grinned. "What it'll be?"

Eurydice sighed. "Fine. We just got some new gear, so – the medicine it'll be. I assume you're not going to hand it over out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Nah. 100 En, if you don't mind?"

"It had better be bloody worth it, too." Eurydice muttered under her breath as she dug around for the requisite amount.

"Much obliged." The soldier nodded and pulled out a tiny bottle. "This stuff's pretty rare, so don't go splashing it all over yourself when you get a scrape. Be seeing you."

Eurydice stared at the tiny brown bottle. "A… Soma?" She said.

Medigirl walked over. "It's _really_ powerful stuff. Just this one bottle should be enough to treat all of our wounds at a single shot. Problem is, it spoils really quickly once it's exposed to air, so if we're going to use it, we should use it all at a shot."

"Huh – when most or all of us are bleeding, then…"

Mihawk barely heard them, she was creeping forward deeper into the forest, bow nocked, ears straining to catch that elusive sound she'd heard a moment ago. She wasn't too surprised to note Quark stepping forward too, runic gloves at the ready position. She'd always pegged the Alchemist as being the sharpest out of the others…

"What is it?" Lash called as he came up behind them. "Some new monster?"

"Can't tell." She said tersely. "Get Eurydice and Medigirl up here."

In a few minutes, they were slowly advancing forward. Distant rumblings could be felt through the earth.

"Whatever it is, it's not another person." Eurydice said softly, bringing her shield up.

Before anyone else could say a word, something charged – fairly exploded – from the bushes, eyes burning with a feral rage. Eurydice barely had time to bring her shield into a position to block the creature before it slammed solidly into her, knocking her off her feet and onto the ground.

As the stunned Protector fought to regain her footing, the creature wheeled away and spun to face the group. Snorting and wheezing, it pawed at the ground, obviously preparing to charge again.

"A – a Ragelope!" Medigirl blurted out as she subconsciously raised her staff. "It – it's a Ragelope!"

"Rage – wha?" Lash questioned as he got his whip into a striking position.

"Ragelopes – they're found in places like these – in the local ecosystem, they're among the toughest monsters you'll meet."

"And whoever first discovered these things saw fit to name it a _Ragelope_?" Eurydice shot a disbelieving glance at the Medic.

"W – well, from what I understand he wasn't too coherent when the rescuers found him…"

"Doing wonders for our confidence, Medigirl."

The creature charged again, once more at Eurydice, seeking to gore the blonde Protector on its sharpened antlers. But this time she had a chance to prepare herself, and she managed to hold her ground.

In that instant that the Ragelope's attention was preoccupied, Lash struck with his whip, wrapping it tightly around the creature's horns. Quark dashed forward, running his palm along the hide of the creature and leaving a discoloured stain across its fur. _A poison-based spell._ Mihawk realized.

Out loud, she said, "Hold it down, Lash! I'll shoot the eyes!"

Easier said than done. With a toss of its neck, it jerked away, sending Lash sprawling across the grassy floor. Eurydice uttered a curse and raised her blade, trying to stab it in between the eyes.

It was then that the Ragelope let out an earth-shattering bellow of pure anger. From where Mihawk was standing, it was deafening enough. But for Eurydice, who was standing not half a meter away from the Ragelope, the sound was unbearable.

With a cry of pain, the Protector staggered back, dropping her sword and shield. The archer's eyes grew wide and this and she leapt into action – Eurydice was the sturdiest out of all of them. If she couldn't protect the more fragile ones in the party.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blur as a rock whizzed forward to smack the creature in the eye.

* * *

Cassandra hadn't been sure what she was trying to do by throwing the rock at the monster – she merely wanted to buy Eurydice some time to recover, maybe catch the creature's attention.

In the latter, she certainly succeeded. The beast let out another bellow of rage and swung around to face her. Trembling, she tightened her grip on her staff.

And then it was charging her, sharpened horns gleaming with the dried blood of former foes, and Cassandra did the only thing she could do.

She fell backwards.

As she lay there, paralysed by fear, the creature loomed over her, ready to end her life with a single sweep of its mighty horns-

Then it jerked back. Glancing over, Cassandra caught sight of Lash, Mihawk and Quark tugging on the end of the whip that had earlier been wrapped around the beast's horns, trying to drag it away from Cassandra.

Somehow, their combined strength was enough to give the beast pause. Bellowing yet again, the Ragelope swung around – just in time to receive a lightning bolt to the face, courtesy of Quark's incantation.

With a screech of pain, the creature staggered back, and never one to waste an opportunity, Mihawk quickly notched an arrow and fired it at the creature, piercing its haunch. They were winning, they could do this-

Suddenly, with a renewed surge of strength, the creature lurched forward, straight at Mihawk. Before the Survivalist could make a move to get herself out of the way, Lash leapt in front of the creature, dagger in hand. Cassandra failed to stifle a gasp of horror as

a spray of dark blood covered the area. The Dark Hunter stumbled back and collapsed, unmoving.

Clambering to her feet, she darted forward. _I have to – I have to get to Lash – have to help him!_ Of course, there was still the problem of the glowering beast in between her and him…

The Ragelope, sensing Cassandra, swung around once more, and with a feral roar lowered its head for yet another charge.

And then Eurydice, fully recovered from the debilitating effects of the roar, lunged forward with broadsword clasped firmly in both hands. With a cry and a mighty overhead swing, she brought the blade crashing down onto the creature's head. There was an audible snapping sound as one of the horns was severed and the blade bit deep into the creature's head.

With a final, weakening cry, the Ragelope collapsed.

Cassandra had already scrambled to Lash's side. Predictably his stomach had been the area to suffer the wounds, and so acting quickly, she began murmuring a healing spell under her breath whilst simultaneously reaching for a medica. The wounds weren't _that_ bad, but they were awfully messy, and it was hard to remember her training to always, _always_ be calm.

Several tense moments later, she sat back. Eurydice had taken a medica to deal with her own comparatively minor wounds, and she was standing slightly away, gazing off further into the forest.

"How's he?" Mihawk questioned worriedly as she stood over him.

"He'll be fine." Cassandra gave her an encouraging smile.

Mihawk nodded and turned to Eurydice. "Uh… Eurydice? What now? Do we wait for Lash to wake up and we go further, or…"

Eurydice started slightly at Mihawk's question. "Huh – what? Oh! Uh…" she glanced up, where sunlight still filtered softly through the trees. "It's still pretty early. Depending on how long it takes Lash to wake up, we can continue on. We've got some Warp Wires in case anything goes awry."

Satisfied with the answer, Mihawk settled back and leaned against a tree, glancing around. Quark closed his eyes as he sat on the ground, meditating… or something like that. Eurydice resumed her vigil, a troubled expression on her face.

As for Cassandra... she would later swear up and down that she had had _no_ intention whatsoever of falling asleep.

* * *

**Chapter End**

* * *

Thank you for reading. Please review. 


	6. 5: Tread Not Lightly

Valde Incompertus Silva

* * *

Disclaimer: I own nothing. And Etrian Odyssey is sounding more and more awesome already.

* * *

It was several hours later that the group resumed their trek through the verdant woodlands. Mihawk stalked ahead, eyes alert for any signs of an enemy. Lash whistled to himself as he followed behind her, giving the impression of being out for a leisurely stroll. Medigirl walked alongside Eurydice, clutching her oak staff protectively as she cast furtive glances at the landscape, and Quark brought up the rear, arms folded, face as impassive as ever.

To any observers, it would have appeared that they were all singularly focused on their task at hand, when it truth only four of them were. One of their member's mind was a world away.

It took a while for Lash to spot the distracted look in his leader's eyes, but when he did he slowed his pace enough that he could walk beside her. Offering her an easy grin, he opened his mouth. "Anything on your mind, fearless leader?"

Eurydice didn't respond for a long moment, merely looking away tersely at the surrounding foliage.

Lash rolled his eyes. Perhaps it was time to change tacks… Unfurling his whip, he flicked it about experimentally. "Medigirl's the medic. Her job's to look after us, make sure we make it out of the Labyrinth."

This time, Eurydice _did_ give him a questioning glance. Pretending to ignore it, Lash continued. "Mihawk here's our scout. Her job's to map the Labyrinth so we don't get hopelessly lost, not to mention to keep an eye out and to be our advance guard for run-ins with the locals."

"Lash, where are you going with this?"

"Now, Quark? He's the brains of the operation, whether we like it or not. Nothing here ruffles his cool – he seems to know a lot more about the Labyrinth than we do. He's our guide to the flora and fauna – and we need one, really."

"…" The Protector flipped a strand of her golden hair behind her shoulder. "Your point being?"

"You, Eurydice, you're the leader," The whip-wielding warrior continued on as if she hadn't said a word. "Your job's to look out for the crew, for the lot of us, and to lead us in a manner that will give us the best chance of fulfilling our goals. Not any easy task by any means, huh."

This time, Eurydice remained silent.

"And of course, the right-hand man's job… is to look out for the leader."

A snort, half of amusement, half of contempt, came from the Protector. "What, you're my right-hand man now?"

"It was either that or 'errand boy', and it just doesn't have that same dramatic flair, y'know?"

She shook her head. "Right, well, you can do your 'looking out for the leader' in terms of a combat situation. Eyes forward, Lash."

The Dark Hunter shrugged and headed off with a somewhat resigned smile.

And as he moved off, Eurydice bit her lip, trying not to let her actions be seen, trying not to let the inner turmoil show itself.

She was, after a Protector. She was a Holy Knight, the party's leader… and their shield. Like it or not, Lash was right in saying that her job was to look after her men.

_Just now… with that… Ragelope..._ She'd lost control when it had screamed at her. She'd dropped her weapon, her shield – a cardinal sin for any warrior on the battlefield. Because of her, Medigirl had been put in danger, Lash had been wounded, and…

She shook her head. Her failure (for that was what it was) could not be denied or ignored. She sighed, tightening her grip on her blade. She could not afford to let down her men again.

Her reputation as a leader was at stake, after all.

* * *

"Definitely didn't taste as good as it looked." Mihawk muttered with disgust as she threw the juicy red fruit onto the ground.

Cassandra frowned as she stared at the red pulp. "I – I don't think you should have eaten that." She mumbled. "It could have been poisonous."

"We saw creatures like those rabbits chewing on these earlier," Mihawk shrugged. "If it were that virulent, they wouldn't be eating it. Still tastes like crud, though." With that, she returned to mapping out their position in the floor.

Cassandra blew out a breath of air. "I wonder why so much of the wildlife here is so… hostile."

"Who knows." Mihawk quirked a smile. "Could be the rumours about them being guardians of some great unknown treasure are really true."

Cassandra chuckled in return. "Wouldn't that be something. I guess that's why so many adventurers want to conquer the labyrinth."

"Fame and fortune are powerful incentives for many." Mihawk replied distractedly as she continued sketching out pathways they had explored.

"Well, what about you, Mihawk?" Cassandra turned to her, an inquisitive look in her eyes. "Why do _you_ want to conquer the forest?"

"Why do I-" Mihawk jerked slightly. "I… I… I don't really know."

Cassandra's eyes widened. _Her memory! I forgot it-_ "I- I'm sorry… I should've…"

"No, it's alright." The archer sighed. "I suppose that's part of why I want to explore the Labyrinth. I feel such a strong urge to… I just… I can't help but wonder if it's got some connection with my past."

"Oh… well, uh, I hope you get your memory back."

Mihawk grinned slightly. "Thanks for the encouragement, Medigirl." Then she cocked her head to one side. "And what's _your_ reason for plumbing the vast, treacherous depths of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth?"

The healer flushed. "Well… it… it's kind of a dumb reason…"

"Oh, try me."

Cassandra glanced at the ground. "Well, it's… I've always had a dream about cataloguing every single animal, plant, mineral… basically everything in the Labyrinth. It… it would be an invaluable resource to Etria, you know…? And so… so whenever I enter the Labyrinth, I collect samples, I study the flora and fauna… you know… stuff like that…"

There was a pause in the clearing for a moment. Then Mihawk burst out.

"You're crazy!"

Taken aback by this outburst, Cassandra glanced up into Mihawk's face, which currently bore a frown on it as she crossed her arms.

"How in the world could you possibly think that's a dumb reason?" Mihawk continued. "It's a heck of a lot more selfless and noble than a whole host of other motivations I could think about."

"R- really?"

"Of course!" Mihawk slapped Cassandra on the back encouragingly, knocking the frail medic forward slightly. "Chin up, Medigirl!"

"Yeah, chin up… I guess."

"Break's over!" They heard Lash call out. "Back to the hunt!"

Nodding to each other, the two friends set off deeper into the woods.

* * *

Quark paused to look at several claw marks laid upon the tree's bark. "More of those moles…" He murmured to himself.

The group he was traveling with was making rather speedy progress. Well, that was a good thing, he supposed. Still, he was rather concerned about them overextending themselves and running into dangers they had no business facing.

_Enough have been sacrificed to the depths of the Labyrinth already._

Even as he was musing, he heard a startled cry, and out of his peripheral vision he noted their leader facing down a trio of the hares they had fought off earlier.

"Aggressive little fools…" He growled as he prepared another set of lightning spells.

The battle was quickly finished, and as the trio continued, Quark noticed the medic crouching over the defeated creatures and extracting some samples from them. With a mental shrug, he wrote it off to curiosity and continued on his path.

The current section of the Labyrinth wasn't overly complicated by any measure, but it _was _winding and tedious, filled with several unpleasant dead ends. More than once Quark found himself wondering why they hadn't simply appropriated maps from people who _had_ ventured deeper.

The obvious answer was that no one would share maps, of course – each guild guarded their own charts with a jealous fury. And it probably couldn't be helped, especially with so much prestige – here Quark had to restrain the urge to roll his eyes – at stake.

So here they were, and of course they would have to do things the hard way. Quark was glad that their cartographer appeared by all accounts to be a rather competent one, but still… he couldn't help wishing they were farther than they were now.

_Patience, patience._ He reminded himself. As long as they continued on their way, he'd reach his goal… sooner… or later.

* * *

_While the majority of hares that live beyond the labyrinth are omnivorous in nature, the Hares within the Yggdrasil Labyrinth are, from analysis of their dental structure, quite clearly carnivorous. This is a fascinating insight, yet it also poses a host of problems towards the nature of the ecosystem of the Labyrinth, not the least of which is the fact that we have yet to run into any herbivorous creatur-_

"Yo, Medigirl!" The shout broke her from her hastily scribbled notes, and she looked up to see Lash gesturing at her. "Mihawk's gotten herself a little cut. If you could come look at it?"

"It's fine, Lash." The archer sighed. "I _am_ trained in the basics of first aid, you know. I can look after myself. Don't bother her unless it's something bigger, okay?"

Medigirl was already jogging over regardless, but any other potentially forthcoming reply was drowned out in a roar as an enormous creature burst from the woods. For a split second, Cassandra thought it was a bear of some sort, but the humongous horns on the creature revealed itself to be of a decidedly different sort.

_A Kuyutha…_ Amongst the upper echelons of the Labyrinth, the only beast more feared than the Ragelope… was the Kuyutha. Wherever it roamed, all the lesser denizens of the Labyrinth knew to get out of its way… or else. Still, they'd managed to take down a Ragelope with relatively little injury… maybe, just maybe, they could handle this as well.

Still, they'd started off on a bad foot. The Kuyutha had clearly caught them by surprise, and as the tiny party moved into battle positions, the rampaging bull-like creature lurched forward, smashing its body in Lash's general position. The agile whipfighter managed to roll out of the way, but just barely. If he'd gotten caught in the rush… Medigirl shuddered.

The huge bulk of the Kuyutha afforded the fighters a singular advantage – it wasn't maneuverable, and since the majority of its attacks consisted of throwing itself at its foes, it allowed the warriors ample time to strike the beast.

A seeming blob of darkness burst from Quark's hands, landing on the Kuyutha's furred hide and quickly soaking into the skin. The Poison spell completed, the Alchemist returned to preparing more lightning spells.

Eurydice rushed over, silver blade flashing as she stabbed at the creature. Unhappily enough, her sword refused to cooperate, bouncing off the Kuyutha's toughened skin. Before Medigirl could do or say anything, the creature tossed its neck, slamming its sturdy horn into the Protector's body. Eurydice was sent sprawling.

As Medigirl rushed over to administer aid to the fallen warrior, Mihawk quickly took up the slack of distracting the creature. Her sharpened arrows were able to pierce the creature's hide easily, and the Kuyutha's furious bellows were proof positive that it had (for the moment) forgotten the hapless protector.

The swift Survivalist was now playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the Kuyutha as she ducked and weaved through the trees, making use of her smaller frame to duck away in smaller recesses. The Kuyutha had nowhere near that level of subtlety, choosing instead to trample everything in its path.

And then it happened. Lash and Quark were rushing up provide aid, the Alchemist's hands already glowing with barely-contained energy. The Kuyutha was once more bearing down on the archer, eyes blazing. Mihawk had loosed another arrow into it's frame, and was preparing to leap nimbly out of the way… when a Hare darted out from the bushes, sinking its sharp fangs into her legs. The Survivalist let out a tiny yelp of pain – which quickly translated into a cry of horror as the Kuyutha slammed into her with all the momentum it could bear. With a sickening crunching sound, Mihawk was literally sent sailing through the air until she collided with another tree, flopping limply to the ground. Meanwhile, the unlucky hare was quickly trampled underfoot.

"Dammit!" Lash spat. "Quark, stand back! I'll distract the thing, you blast it with what you've got!"

The Alchemist obliged, and streaks of blazing lightning erupted from his gauntlets, searing into the beast's skin, drawing agonized bellows of rage. The Dark Hunter, meanwhile, stood in front of the monster, taunting it, drawing it away from Quark, letting the spellcaster continue his lethal work.

Meanwhile, Medigirl frantically mixed up her health-giving concoction, checking the fallen Protector for serious wounds. Her heart screamed at her to go to Mihawk's aid, but she had to finish looking to Eurydice first.

"Ugh… I… fine…" Eurydice muttered as she pulled herself into a sitting position. "Go… Mihawk…"

Pausing to give her leader one more worried glance, the medic stood – just as a cry of alarm rang through the woods. Snapping her head up, she saw Lash in the process of being flung through the air as if he were nothing more substantial than a feather.

Now unprotected, the dark-haired alchemist nonetheless stood resolute, one final thunderbolt searing its way through the air before he, too, was slammed by the massive beast. He fell, rolled, and lay still.

And there were only three – Medigirl, the Kuyutha… and Eurydice, who could barely stand.

A long, tense silence ensued as the bull-like creature slowly wheeled around to face the two of them.

"…" Cassandra stood frozen, backing up.

"Medigirl. Go." Eurydice snapped. "Find a safe place – and use that Warp Wire. And on't stop for anything."

"Wha- no! No! I'm standing here to-"

"I said GO! And that's a damn order!" The Protector snapped before exploding into action, charging the behemoth. The Kuyutha growled softly, took a step forward, and slumped to the ground.

Pulling herself to a stop just before she slammed into the unmoving bulk, Eurydice gasped for breath as she stared curiously at the unmoving creature. Behind her, Cassandra clutched her staff, trembling.

_The… the poison… Quark's poison… it must have been eating away at it the whole time…_ She trembled violently as, ahead of her, Eurydice slumped to the ground, her injuries getting the better of her.

"Medi… Medigirl…"

"Wha – huh?"

"The Warp Wire. You have it, right? Use it."

"Oh… oh! Right."

Hurriedly gathering their fallen allies into an enclosed area, Medigirl activated the Warp Wire, and the five of them vanished in a burst of light.

They had survived. And for now, that would have to be enough.

* * *

**Chapter End**

* * *

Thanks for reading. Please review. 


	7. 6: Obstacles in the Path

Valde Incompertus Silva

* * *

Less than a week to go!

Also, YU PSP announced! Yay!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Eurydice spent a very tense and unhappy hour pacing up and down the corridor outside the treatment rooms in the Ceft Apothecary. Given the large number of unprepared idiots who came to challenge the Labyrinth and barely made it out alive again, the wing of the Apothecary dedicated to saving the lives of said idiots was of a rather impressive size.

Of course, Medigirl, being the trained healer that she was, was frantically aiding in the efforts to save the other three members of the Paragon Guild, despite the fact that she would be utterly exhausted after their trek into the 2nd floor of the Labyrinth.

And Eurydice stood there, feeling utterly useless. What good was her Protector's shield now? Not much. As it was, she'd been on the treatment table too, but her wounds were far less severe than any of the other fighters in the party, and so here she was. It had been nearly an entire day since they'd returned from fighting that demonic bull - _thing_.

Not that it could be helped. Her job as a Protector was to, well, protect. To prevent them from getting such injuries in the first place. _And I sure did a bang-up job of __**that**_, she thought with a slight grimace.

Suddenly, the door to the treatment wing creaked open, and the weary, gaunt face of Medigirl appeared in the doorway. In response to Eurydice's unspoken question, she managed a small nod and a smile. "They're going to be okay."

Eurydice let out a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. "That's wonderful." She said softly.

"Uh-huh," Medigirl nodded. "I'm… I'm just glad… I could… help…" Even as she spoke, she tottered, falling forward to be caught by Eurydice.

"…" The blonde Protector sighed as she carefully shifted the unconscious Medic into a position where she could more easily be carried. A soft bed sounded like a wonderful idea right about now, and since she knew her team was going to be safe…

* * *

Mihawk supposed she should be grateful she hadn't suffered yet _another_ bout of memory loss after getting piledriven by an enraged forest beast, but her ability to be grateful for anything was somewhat sabotaged by the fact that her entire body felt like it had been set on fire.

Shortly after regaining consciousness, she'd been told by the healthcare people around her not to move, which was fine except for the fact that it was hellishly _boring_. She'd turned her head from side to side – not the wisest of moves, as it'd led to her neck screaming in agony - long enough to ascertain that she was in fact not alone in the room, and was in fact sharing it with a large number of invalids.

And as an aside, the condition of some of the _other_ invalids brought back hitherto dormant feelings of gratefulness very close to the surface. She hadn't been aware that it was physically possible for legs to bend that way.

Aside from that however, she'd been spending the majority of her time asleep, and so it wasn't much a surprise when she was awakened by a hand on her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she found herself staring into the concerned face of her guild leader.

"Mihawk?" Eurydice said softly.

"You look like crap," was the Survivalist's reply. Not that she'd actually meant to insult her leader, but at that moment it was, quite undeniably, true, as well as the first thing to come to the archer's mind. Eurydice was a disheveled mess, hair tangled up, deep bags under her eyes, and a shallow cut across her cheek and neck that didn't look like it'd been treated yet.

The Protector sighed. "I know. If you'd realize how hectic things have been these few days-"

"Days? How long's it been?" The complete lack of any method with which to track time and her massive amount of time spent in slumber had disoriented her to the point where she wasn't sure about much anymore.

"Three days since we made it back from the second floor. Lash and Quark are just about fully recovered, but since you took the Kuyutha's full-body charge head-on, you ended up in the worst condition by a fair margin. The medics were actually surprised you held on as well as you did." The Protector shook her head. "Anyway, you'd best get back to resting."

"Sounds like a great idea." Mihawk mumbled wearily as she leaned her head back in her pillow and let unconsciousness claim her.

* * *

Several days later, when the members of the Paragon Guild had once again reasserted their status as 'fighting fit', they were sitting around the lounge area of the Rooster Inn, waiting for the last of their party – Lash – to show up.

This the Dark Hunter did with his usual aplomb, throwing open the door to the inn with enough force that a resounding 'BANG!' sounded off the walls, as he strode up to the gathered bunch and plopped himself down on a couch, patently ignoring the annoyed look the innkeeper had shot him.

"So, what's up next?" He questioned cheerily as he turned to regard Eurydice. Cassandra frowned as she looked over at him, then at the other members of the group.

Quark was… well, still Quark, as he stood at the sidelines with his arms folded, gazing impassively at something only he could discern. Mihawk sat upright in a leather chair, expression betraying nothing as she shifted her gaze to the leader. And of course, Lash was sprawled lazily over the couch, grinning at the Protector.

She swallowed hard. They all seemed so… confident. Like a team that hadn't, mere days ago, been on the verge of being utterly annihilated.

Eurydice, by contrast, looked as if she hadn't had a wink of sleep since that particular incident. Cassandra didn't claim to be an expert on reading people, but it didn't take one to tell the Protector was obviously troubled about the whole incident.

"All right, everyone." Eurydice began slowly. "We messed up the last time, we nearly got ourselves killed, the sum total of that is that we're back 200 en on medical fees… and that was just the second floor. If anyone wants to back out now, I'm not holding it against them."

No one moved except for Lash reaching over to scratch his chin.

"That said," the Protector continued. "If we're all in it for the long haul, then we'll set our next course of action for tomorrow's sundown."

"Sundown?" Lash raised an eyebrow. "There a reason for that?"

"Yes – wishful thinking." Mihawk sighed. "Eurydice hopes that the woodland denizens will be less active in the nighttime than the day."

Lash shrugged. "Doesn't make sense to me. The deeper we get, the more dangerous it'll get. Sooner or later we're going to have to become tough enough to deal with anything the Labyrinth feels like tossing our way."

"I know that. However, the plain fact is that right _now_, most of us need to recuperate. I dunno about you, but I still ache whenever I turn over at night. I want to avoid pushing ourselves too hard for a while, but I don't want ourselves sitting on our thumbs for another week or so."

"I…" Cassandra cleared her throat. "I think that's a good idea. The – well, all four of you got a few fractured ribs during the fight, so… it really wouldn't be a good idea to do anything too strenuous for at least three more days."

The dark-haired whipfighter chuckled. "Well, I'm good with that."

Quark shrugged. "If it gets us deeper, I've no objections."

Mihawk nodded. "Same here."

"Good. Meet at the inn tomorrow at the noon bell, since there's some stuff I want us to handle before setting out. Until then, we're off duty, so spend your time however you wish. I'd advise some rest, however." At that, the guild leader stood and headed upstairs.

"…" Cassandra watched her departing figure and sighed.

* * *

"Hello, Valerie." Mihawk smiled slightly as she settled herself at the bar. "Just give me something strong enough to leave me with a buzz for a couple of hours."

"Are you sure you should be drinking?" The bartender said even as she grabbed a bottle from the shelf. "Your body needs rest after getting beat up so bad."

"They say alcohol stimulates the body."

"They also say that alcohol makes you walk into pillars and walls. _That_ one's a lot more observable, and probably counteracts any bodily stimulation quite efficiently. Here you go, twelve en please."

Mihawk tossed Valerie the coins, grabbed her mug, and downed half of it in a single shot before laying the mug back on the table with a rather loud thump. Valerie shook her head.

"You shouldn't be drinking like that."

"I can hold my liquor, thanks."

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know that, Mihawk?"

The archer paused, glaring angrily at nothing, and then shook her head. "I just know, okay?"

The bartender sighed. "You're mad about screwing up in the Labyrinth, aren't you?"

"No."

_Yes._ Valerie thought silently. Well, she knew enough not to prod too deep at people who didn't want their problems discussed. Leaving the Survivalist to her drink, she turned to her next customer.

"Evening, Trisk." She smiled gamely at the old man. "What'll it be this time?"

"One of your chicken stews, if you don't mind, and a mug of your finest brew!"

With a sigh, Mihawk grabbed a stick of charcoal, pulled out her parchment that was to be the map of the second floor of the Labyrinth, and started touching up the map of the place. Naturally it was unfinished after their unfortunate run-in with the Kuyutha, but what was already there could stand some improvement-

"Reminiscing about the spring again, Trisk?" Valerie's voice, filled with wry humour, floated across the room to her.

"You know me too well, Val. Then again, I've known you ever since you were a wee lass, so maybe that's why!" The aged man broke into a chuckle. "Yep, you've got it. Ever since I tasted the waters of that spring…" The old man sighed. "Well, I'm too old now."

"Even if it's just the first floor?"

"Even if it's just the first floor." He shrugged. "I'm old, Val. My eyes aren't what they used to be, my arms can barely swing a sword anymore. I wouldn't even know where to find the spring if I could wander around the place."

The old man heaved a sigh and was about to return to his drink when a voice popped up.

"I could find the spring for you, if you'd like."

Trisk turned around to look at the Survivalist who'd made the offer.

"First floor, right?"

The aged man shook his head with a wry smile. "And just what're you offering to help me for, lass? Out of the goodness of your heart?"

"If you want to put it that way." Mihawk shrugged. "Or it could be that I'm bored, and I need something to do. Either way, I'm offering. Are you accepting?"

Trisk grinned, shrugged. "Why not? I've nothing to lose."

Mihawk let the ghost of a smile play across her features. "All right, then."

* * *

"So remind me why I was the only one who got dragged along for this little sidetrip?" Lash questioned with a raised eyebrow as he and Mihawk trekked their way through the woods.

"Because Eurydice is unavailable, Medigirl's willing, but she wouldn't be of much help in dealing with the beasts, and Quark's… he's Quark."

"True enough. Question two! Why are we going in the middle of the night."

"The old man – Trisk – he claims that the spring was blessed by a fairy or something along the lines. Apparently it's magical properties only come out at night."

"Hey, you know what else comes out at night? Monsters. Let's of 'em. Like that scary ass bull thing."

Mihawk shrugged. "I've talked to some of the old timers – the Ragelope and Kuyuthas don't venture up to the top floor for whatever reason. We should be relatively safe."

As if on cue, a mole leaped from the bushes, claws slashing at the archer. Before it got within a foot of her, it was dead, felled by an arrow to the chest.

Lash smirked. "Relatively."

Mihawk, meanwhile, busied herself with cutting away the hide of the creature. Finished, she stuffed it into her pack. "More stuff to sell…" She murmured to herself. "Anyway, according to my map, I noted a spring to the east of this area."

"Lead the way, fair maiden." The whipfighter shrugged.

* * *

Eurydice sat propped up on the chair of her room, resting her cheek on one hand as the other idly held a book. It was one of her favourite tomes, detailing a story of a brave knight and his quest to win the heart of a fair lady. The lady herself had a voice so beautiful that it could beguile and tame even the most ferocious of beasts, and the knight knew that no small feat would be needed to win her heart, and so he traveled the land, searching for a treasure so grand and splendid that it would prove his devotion to her.

With a half-smile on her face, Eurydice chuckled. "It's funny…" She murmured to herself. "How everything turned out-"

A soft knock on the door sounded. Folding the book and putting it away, Eurydice turned to the door. "Come in." She said.

The door creaked open, and the nervous face of Medigirl appeared in the doorway. "B – boss?" She ventured.

The Protector quirked an eyebrow and stood. "Medigirl? What are you doing in the inn? You've your own place to stay here, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but… I wanted to talk to you."

"What about?"

The shy girl stood there for several long seconds, staring at the floor, before she blurted out, "You hate me, don't you?"

It was at times like these, Eurydice reflected, that being the leader of a group sucked a lot.

* * *

"I'd give us… oh, two more days or so until we reach Etria." Franz said as he chewed at the hunk of bread in his hand.

"About time, too. I think I've forgotten a time when I didn't smell of horse." Ewan muttered.

"Ay, Masters, and then maybe we'll have a proper meal, eh? A nice roast, smeltered with sauces and mushrooms! Why, I'm getting hungry just _thinking_ of it!" Orpheus piped up from his position behind Ewan.

"And thinking about it's not going to do anyone any good, so let's save that for when we reach." Franz chuckled as he finished.

"So, Orpheus," Ewan said by way conversation. "You've been pretty insistent on getting to Etria, but you haven't really told us why. The Labyrinth?"

"Maybe, maybe." The musician sighed. "I'm looking fer someone, though, that's my main goal. And before you ask, I don't fancy that person'd be too pleased about my revealing that person's identity, so all bets are off."

Ewan raised an eyebrow in response to this, but otherwise shrugged it off without much thought.

As the night wore on, the thud of hooves on the dirt track remained constant.

* * *

**Chapter End**

* * *

Thank you for reading. Please review.


	8. 7: Resolve to Descend

Valde Incompertus Silva

* * *

EO2 is so, so good.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

The Protector and the Medic stood there for a long time. An uncomfortably long time.

Throughout the entirety of this uncomfortably long time, Medigirl never once raised her view from the floor immediately in front of her as she twiddled her thumbs and swallowed, waiting for a response.

Eurydice, meanwhile, tried to coalesce her thoughts into something that could lead the situation far enough so that it wouldn't completely degenerate into tears – her own, probably.

Finally, she shook her head, sighed, and replied, "Medigirl, is there any particular… _reason_ for you believing that to be true?"

The healer coughed nervously before replying. "Well, it's just... you… um, I mean, I…. uh… you…"

Subconsciously Eurydice folded her arms. _This could take a while_, she thought bleakly.

Finally, Medigirl apparently summoned up enough courage to continue speaking. "It's not so much anything in particular, but… well, you're really… um," She paused. "You never wanted me to join in the first place, you always act really brusque towards me, and…" She trailed off into silence, staring unhappily at the floor.

Eurydice sighed again and turned away. "I'm terse with _everyone_, Medigirl. A lifetime on the battlefield does that to you." She paused. "If the way I talk really does make it uncomfortable, then yes, I'll try to tone it down – but no promises. On the other hand, you really need to grow thicker skin." Another sigh. "Look, Medigirl. I fully admit to thinking you were going to be nothing more than a liability when I first got you into the guild – you _are_ after all, in your mid teens. But you've proven yourself. More than once. So, no, I don't hate you. And if I did, I'd be a lot more forthright about it." Eurydice sighed. "That aside, you really should be going to get some sleep, okay?"

The Medic clearly had more on her mind than what she was saying right now, but instead of speaking up, she merely nodding. "Okay… good night, Eurydice."

The Protector shot her a brief smile. "Good night, Medigirl."

* * *

"Think this is the spring he was talking about?" Lash questioned rhetorically as the two of them stared down at the trickling water.

"I admit to expecting something a little more… runny. But the location fits." With a shrug and a sigh, Mihawk crouched and opened a small waterskin, letting the water slowly fill up the pouch. "Keep a lookout, would you?"

"No worries, I'm not keen on letting any of the critters taking a bite out of us either." The Dark Hunter leaned against a tree trunk as he scanned the area.

After several long moments, Mihawk stood again, tying up the open end of the pouch. "That should be enough." She murmured to herself. "Okay, get the Warp Wire and we can-"

"What?" Lash turned to face her. "I thought _you_ had the Wire!"

"You mean-" Mihawk paused, rubbed her temples, and sighed. "Right, no one has any Warp Wires. Guess we'll just foot it back to town."

Just then, a rustling sound was heard, and a Clawbug emerged from the bushes, pincers at the ready.

Both of the adventurers sighed, drew their weapons, and prepared for battle.

* * *

Quark didn't say much as the two bedraggled adventurers stepped through the entrance of the inn. He merely raised a singular eyebrow at the two of them, a silent question about what they had been doing, and how they had gotten themselves into such a state.

"You know, it's never been _proven_ scientifically and all that, but damn if there are always twice as many monsters on the way out of the Labyrinth as opposed to going in." Mihawk grumped as she prodded a cut on her cheek gingerly. "I think I'll get Medigirl to look at a few of these in the morning."

The Alchemist turned back to the tome he was perusing. "I don't suppose I want to know why you two were out in the Labyrinth in the middle of the night?"

"No, in the sense that you're not the sort of person to be interested in what we were doing."

"Probably." Quark said in a soft voice.

As the Survivalist tromped up the stairs of the inn, she glanced down at her pack. Inside it lay a Medica II.

"They could've gone with a slightly more creative naming convention." Mihawk yawned as she pushed open the door to her room. "Still, a reward's a reward and all…"

Pausing only to relieve herself of her pack and weapons, Mihawk collapsed onto her cot. Amongst the last thoughts in her mind would be how the staff of the inn would have to clean bloodstains out of the bedsheets tomorrow.

"Sucks to be them, I guess…" She mumbled as she drifted off to slumber.

* * *

"Yer kidding, right?" Rosalina's glare tightened as she gazed up at the Guildmaster. "Whaddya _mean_ the Guilds aren't hiring? With all the talk of adventure and rot in this place, you mean t' say that there's no new blood allowed in the place?"

The Guildmaster nodded sympathetically. "We've got boom times and wanes here. Most of the Guilds here are a tight-knit bunch. When Summer rolls around we start seeing a bunch of new Guilds spring up – and most of them vanish after a couple of weeks. Those that make it do so by growing together, learning to fight and work together – so naturally they get a little more unused to breaking in fresh folk."

The warrior blew out a breath of air in a cross between a growl and a sigh. "And I'm just supposed to sit here and twiddle my thumbs – maybe go down to the bars and get sloshed – all the way until Summer? If that ain't the biggest load of bullhickey I've ever-"

"Nah," the Guildmaster gave an affable chuckle. "You could always ask around. Just because they don't post hiring notices here at headquarters doesn't mean that they'd turn down anyone flat. Come to think of it, there was a new guild just the other day – they'll probably be open to newcomers."

"Right, right. And this, uh, new guild would be?"

There was a significant pause as both characters looked down to the guildmaster's desk, literally covered in swathes of paper.

"It starts with a 'P'." He finally offered.

The Landsknecht sighed, mumbled a halfhearted 'Thanks' and stepped out into the night.

* * *

As the sun slowly began to reclaim the morning sky, a long figure could be seen on the outskirts of Etria.

As Lash moved through the basics of his training regimen, he reflected that his body, when pushed, could hold up pretty well. After all, it had been only a couple of days since he'd been trampled within an inch of his life, but here he was, back on his feet, back to training.

The care of the medics in the Apothecary didn't hurt, of course. Pausing for a short breather, he wiped the sweat beading on his forehead and reached for the waterskin.

Just as he was lifting the bottle to his lips, he heard the sound of boots tramping on the earth. A moment later, a group of – what else? – explorers came into view, heading for the entrance.

Lash paused for a brief moment to observe them – based on the gear they were sporting, the manner of their walk, and their general appearance, it was rather obvious that this was an experienced bunch.

And yet, by virtue of the simple fact that they were entering the Labyrinth through the proper entrance, it was obvious that they had yet to breach the second stratum of Yggdrasil.

An instant later, they were swallowed up by the viridian entrance.

Shaking his head slightly, Lash gave a token flip of his whip and wandered across to lean against a sturdy oak tree.

It seemed… absurd, really. Who knew how deep down the Labyrinth really went. They could take a lifetime and still never truly reach the bottom. And all that was assuming that the various beasts that inhabited the Labyrinth didn't have them for dinner first.

"A fool's dream, in the end." Lash snorted and flicked his whip out once more, carving a tiny groove in the ground. "So why the hell am I here, instead of… I dunno, somewhere else. Where I can earn some good coin and make a name for myself. Another mercenary gang. Or maybe one of those privateers. The sea's not a bad sort of place."

The dark-haired fighter's voice trailed off as he stared once more at the emerald grove. Then, shaking his head, he turned and started back for town.

"A fool's dream… and I guess I'm just the fool who'd pursue something like that."

* * *

The blonde haired Protector sighed to herself as she stared out the window at the setting sun. "Guess I should get ready, then." She said to no one in particular.

At the bottom floor of the inn, Mihawk silently tightened the string on her bow, giving it experimental plucks with a finger. Finally satisfied, she stood, hefting a satchel of arrows and heading out the doorway.

In the Ceft Apothecary, a young girl nervously counted through the potions and herbs that she was to be taking with her on this trip. She was determined not to let this venture be a repeat of the last one.

Strolling across the town square and whistling tunelessly, Lash took a bite from the chunk of bread he was holding. Around him, yet more explorers who apparently wished to work the night shift headed for the entrance, reminding him that he should be gearing up as well.

And sitting near the labyrinth's entrance, Quark sustained a tiny lightning spell with one hand, enough so that it provided the lighting necessary for him to read one of his texts as he waited for the rest of his companions.

Presently they arrived, one by one, each bearing determined expressions on their faces, each determined not to let their previous setback deter them.

"Everyone ready?" Their leader asked without preamble. Nods and words of affirmation.

"Then let's go."

* * *

The lamps were just being lit, illuminating the town in soft hues of gold and orange, when a pair of snorting horses pulled up to the town entrance, carrying upon them a knight, a wizard, and a bard.

"Well, masters, that wasn't half bad a journey!" Orpheus commented merrily as he dismounted, tapping his feet on the cobbled pavement. "And aren't I half glad to be seeing a town again!"

"Indeed. Getting here was work enough." Franz sighed as he did likewise. "Ewan, you go try to find us an inn, I'll go see if there're some stables to keep Mariel and Neige." Then he paused. "Orpheus, what about you? You wanted to come to Etria… and, well, you're here."

The Troubadour gave an experimental pluck of his lute. "What, masters, are you asking me to join you in your little quest?"

Franz shrugged as he walked over and grasped the reins of the two horses. "I've heard that the musically inclined can cast mild enchantments – enough to help their partners in combat. And, well, the prospect of venturing into the Labyrinth with only two people is rather daunting, to say the least."

"Ha!" Orpheus barked out a short laugh. "Well, as the gods of fate would have it, the person I'm hunting down has a yearning to plumb grand ol' Yggdrasil herself. If we all of us meet up, that should make things much simpler."

Franz smiled slightly. "Good. That's settled then. And your first task as part of our group is to go find us a nice restaurant where we can have our evening meal. We'll meet back by the town fountain when we're down."

"Couldn't have asked for a better task myself." The musician chuckled and turned away to melt into the night-time crowds. "Be seeing you, masters!"

Franz spared a nod to Ewan. "Come on, let's go." And the two friends set off.

* * *

"So it's like… a huge, abandoned courtyard." Eurydice muttered to herself as she glanced around the third floor of the Labyrinth.

"Enough ruins scattered all about the place to give the idea that _something_ was built here, we just don't what." Mihawk replied as she cast about the gloom for any signs of an attack.

"…Uh…"

"So, maybe at the bottom there's some super advanced civilisation or something that will be willing to share it's secrets with us?"

"Super advanced?" Lash snorted. "Any half decent craftsman from Etria could have built all this stuff."

"Guys…"

"Perhaps not." Quark finally spoke up. "The ruins here may seem relatively simple forms of stonemasonry, but the way they've been crafted to provide the absolute maximum support for any large overhanging structure indicates that they have a fair bit of intellect – certainly not enough to count as sufficiently more advanced than the technology we have, but not average in ability either."

"Hrmph." Lash blew out another breath of air. "Just makes you wonder who'd build this place, huh?"

"Guys!"

Eurydice paused. "What, Medigirl?"

"I, uh, I don't think we're alone in here."

Is was then that the rest of the Paragon Guild heard the sound of buzzing wings.

* * *

Ouch, short chapter that still took forever to get through. I'll be better, I promise!


End file.
